


Grounds for Divorce

by supercasey



Series: Nomad of Nowhere: Twins AU [5]
Category: Nomad of Nowhere (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Siblings, Alternate Universe - Twins, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Codependency, Depression, Developing Relationship, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Running Away, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 44,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23209795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercasey/pseuds/supercasey
Summary: Twins/Nodad AU. Benjamin has been on the run for the last several decades, barely outrunning El Rey and his men, his heart in aching knots… but he’s grown tired, tired and frightened of the great beyond. So he settles down, builds himself an innocuous little hideout in the midst of a thick briar. However, while living a newfound life of solitude, he meets a beautiful young woman who makes him rethink everything he’s ever known… and regret everything he hasn’t. Benjamin knows damn well that he’s not a good man, but he hopes that won’t make him a bad father, too.
Relationships: Benjamin of Nowhere & Nomad (Nomad of Nowhere), Benjamin of Nowhere & Skout (Nomad of Nowhere), Benjamin of Nowhere/Annabeth Driller, El Rey/Benjamin of Nowhere, El Rey/Original Male Character, Nomad & Skout (Nomad of Nowhere), Original Male Character/Original Female Character
Series: Nomad of Nowhere: Twins AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1117542
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, now I can get into Benjamin (Nodad’s) POV concerning this AU… so this is obviously gonna get pretty emotional at points, so I’m sorry in advance. West, as usual, I blame you for all of the Nomad of Nowhere shit I write, but I’ll be damned if I leave this storyline incomplete and in a weird spot.

_ “The sins of the Father are the fall of the Son.” _

Benjamin would like to think that he’s, deep down, a pretty good person; the fact that he’s a wanted criminal is an outlier, and should not be counted towards his current moral standing. Sure, he’s maybe raised the dead a few times, he’s set countless buildings on fire, and he’s committed tax fraud a little too often, but none of that really  _ matters  _ in the long run. The dead will rise with or without his help, buildings will be burned by other arsonists, and people will find a way to steal money no matter the laws set in place. How is  _ he  _ the bad guy for simply making the most out of a terrible situation? It reminds him of people like El Rey, who's a good example of what Ben refers to as  _ “Good Intentions with Bad Consequences”  _ in storytelling. When El Rey first started out, that old king did a lot of good, Ben will certainly give him that. But the poor man is misguided, and he's long since fallen victim to the addiction of power, as well as his crown, which is how Benjamin has found himself here, being forcibly led to a  _ ‘meeting’  _ with El Rey himself. He has a good idea of where this will go; he’ll likely be absorbed by the king's crown, and from there his immortal soul will be trapped within the crown’s jewel, forever shackled and restless. Needless to say, he’s not looking forward to it. It’s sad, really, that it’s come to this, but the magic is running out; El Rey’s been eating wizards too quickly to replace them. He’s lacked restraint, and as a result has damn near run out of magic to absorb. Soon enough, it will all be lost, and magic itself will cease to be. It's a scary thought.

A guard behind Benjamin jostles the wizard, snapping him out of his internal monologue. “Ey, wizard, keep movin’; quit yer fuckin’ daydreamin’.” The guard orders, voice gruff and harsh, daring to smack his prisoner on the back of his head. This jostles the thin, silver necklace around Ben’s neck that was tied around his throat by the captain when he was first captured, the material burning the wizard's inhuman skin when he moves too much.

Ben doesn’t bother with arguing in response to the shove, preferring to give his captors the cold shoulder instead. At one time, he considered guards like this man his accomplices, often standing guard (no pun intended) while he went about his business; whether that be by letting him raid old libraries for long forgotten textbooks, acting as intimidation when Ben needed to  _ ‘negotiate’ _ with a traveler for their magical artifacts, or having them just keep him company in his study, they were once seen as the wizard’s friends, but it’s now abundantly clear that such relationships have ceased to be. Yes, no less than a day ago, Benjamin was working directly under El Rey himself, acting as the king’s lead researcher in magical artifacts, as well as an occasional confidant. Back then, the arrangement had been simple enough, and incredibly beneficial for Ben; in return for providing the king with his specialization in dark magic and casting, he would be spared from the crown’s hunger, and permitted to take shelter in the castle instead of being hung in the gallows. It might make him appear weak or foolish, but Ben would be lying if he said he’s not upset about this deal ending. Although he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself out there- again, please ignore the ginormous and, frankly  _ inflated _ bounty on his head, because that’s some bullshit if he’s ever heard it- the castle was, well,  _ comforting, _ and even though El Rey wasn’t always partial to having company, Benjamin once considered himself friends with the king.

In any case, it’s not like the spellcaster has much time left to care, seeing as El Rey has called him in for a meeting. Apparently, this meeting is very different from ones he’s had with Ben in the past, as instead of simply sending an escort to bring the busybody of a researcher into his throne room, the king ordered over twenty guards to storm Benjamin’s study, throw him to the ground, and secure a silver necklace around his neck. Despite not knowing what race he actually is, on account of being raised by a human hermit in the middle of nowhere, Ben knows that silver, for whatever reason, hurts like nothing else when it touches his skin, suggesting that his species is something related to Fae. Dusting the thought aside, the wizard tries to focus on the here and now, which is good, because it seems they’ve reached their destination. Unceremoniously, the guard behind Ben unties the researcher’s wrists and, without warning, he kicks him in the back, sending the spellcaster tumbling into the throne room, his body hitting the floor at the same time the doors shut behind him. Ben lays there for a moment, gritting his teeth as he awaits the inevitable; he’s never actually  _ seen  _ El Rey’s crown consume it’s victims, but he’s heard the screams enough times to know that this is probably going to hurt. He tenses his body further, readying himself for it… but it doesn't come. Slowly, Benjamin opens his eyes, sitting up on his knees to stare up at El Rey, his gaze expectant and frustrated. What is he  _ waiting  _ for?

“Benjamin of Nowhere…” El Rey’s voice is, as it’s always been, infuriatingly calm, though Ben can hear the weariness in the king’s voice. Perhaps he expects a fight? “So good of you to come, old friend… did my guards treat you well?”

“I’m wearin’ a fuckin’ silver collar ‘ere; you tell me,” Ben gripes, easily hiding his fear with his usual foul-mouthed language. He came here expecting to die, not to be lectured at. “What’s all this, El Rey? You finally done wid me? Jus’ get it over wid, hun.” Offhandedly, he tries to unhook the necklace, but his fingers burn everytime he tries to touch the jewelry, his gloves not doing much to help.

To Ben’s annoyance, El Rey chuckles at the sight. “Foolish little spellcaster,” He murmurs, something in his tone soft and warm, reminding his subject all too much of the friend he thought he once had in the king. “Here, let me help,” He offers, coming to crouch behind Benjamin, and with all of the gentle precision of a seamstress, he unlatches the silver necklace, taking a moment to marvel at it in his hands. “Hm… such a  _ beautiful  _ necklace, isn’t it? A shame you’re allergic, or I’d consider adorning it with jewels for you. You’d probably look good with sapphires on… they’d match the rest of your outfit quite nicely. In any case, you should keep it. Consider it a…  _ souvenir, _ of sorts.” Gently, El Rey slips the bare necklace into one of Ben’s pockets, still crouched behind him, careful to not let the silver touch any exposed skin. Not that it’s hard, considering how many layers the wizard almost always wears.

Ben scowls over his shoulder at El Rey, not impressed by the gesture. “The fuck is goin’ on, El Rey?” He repeats his question from earlier, standing up to turn around and glare down at the king, unafraid to behave in a defiant manner, even when he believes he’s about to die. “Come on, partner, don’t go leadin’ me ‘round the fair; just get to the fuckin’ point! You damn well know I ain’t the patient type.”

El Rey ignores him, silently rising to his feet again to tower over the short researcher, his general aura making the other man shiver with dread. It’s a dangerous, stupid move to be this close to each other, considering how they’ve playfully spared using their magic in the past, but Benjamin knows that El Rey could still beat him in a fight, so he doubts the king is all that worried; one snap of his fingers, and that crown will eat his old friend faster than a pumpkin pie at a pie eating contest. With El Rey so close, it gives Ben the perfect opportunity to look the other man over, searching for some kind of weakness or slip-up. The king’s race is a dying subclass-  _ Y’Dala? Was that the word?- _ with him as one of the few dwindling survivors, save for a few tribes on the outskirts of Nowhere. It’s sad, but Ben can relate with that feeling… he hasn’t met anyone who looks like him before, having been raised by a wizard who’d found him abandoned in the woods. Some days he wonders if he’s all that’s left of his kind, but he has a feeling he isn’t… there have to be others, right? After all,  _ someone  _ had to have made him, and that someone may very well be alive, or at least have family members who are; hell, his curiosity with his origins is, secretly, one of the reasons Ben joined up with El Rey, hopeful that the king’s various resources might someday lead him to find others that are like him.

Shaking those thoughts aside, Ben focuses more on El Rey’s features again, aware that he needs to find a weak point, before the king realizes how much time he’s wasting and decides to eat him before supper. Despite the situation, it’s hard for Ben not to notice how handsome El Rey is, the royal man having a nice set of dense, gorgeous muscles, as well as the most beautiful, piercing yellow eyes the spellcaster has ever seen. If they had met each other under better circumstances- in a bar maybe, away from the hustle and bustle of their miserable lives- Benjamin would’ve honestly considered  _ courting  _ the Y’Dala man. Hell, he probably  _ would  _ have; after all, it’s not like they haven’t had their fair share of  _ “secret meetings” _ in the past- _ in the dead of night, when no one could see or hear them, the two quiet and content in each other’s company-  _ and although it kills him to realize those instances were not enough to spare him, Ben will consider himself lucky that he had those few scenes with El Rey at all, no matter how short or fleeting they may’ve been. Even with his internalized crush making him want to cry, Ben still regards the king with an air of great caution, eyeing the golden, glistening jewels adorning El Rey’s ears and hair, as well as the hard set of his jaw. Men with jawlines like that, in Ben’s experience, are not known for their restraint, and El Rey’s more than proven that he’s one such man. Sick of this game, Benjamin tries to stand a bit taller, but again, he’s much shorter than the king, destroying any chance of intimidating him.

“I ain’t gettin’ any younger, partner,” Ben reminds his old friend, glaring daggers up at El Rey. He refuses to look at the crown, instead focusing his eyes on El Rey’s own, trying to see his killer for who he is, and not for what’s controlling him. “So if yer gonna be usin’ me as crown fodder, you'd best get to it.”

El Rey just…  _ stands  _ there, staring meaningfully at the other man. Slowly, the king reaches for Benjamin’s hat. The wizard doesn’t move a muscle- both out of fear for his life, and a slight curiosity as to what the other magic user will do- allowing the Y’Dala to remove his signature hat and toss it aside, revealing short, curly black hair underneath, shaggy and unkempt due to a lack of commitment on Ben’s part. Benjamin bares his teeth, willing himself to not lash out; is this all an elaborate scheme to make him act more obedient? As embarrassing as it is, it’s fucking working. He came in here expecting a quick death at the hands of an old, once beloved friend, but now he’s beginning to recognize the fact that he really doesn’t  _ want  _ to die, at least, not yet. It’s physically painful for Benjamin to hold himself still at this point, watching quizzically as El Rey, oh so delicately, brushes a curl out of the shorter man’s face, giving Ben a better view of his soon to be killer by tucking the strand up again. Were the situation not so tense, the researcher would be half tempted to laugh, remembering the few times he and El Rey shared a bed together, and how fascinated the king had been by his messy and curly hair, spending nearly an hour each visit just fussing with it. He would murmur idly about wanting to adorn Ben’s hair with jewels, believing they would look  _ ‘pretty’  _ on the somewhat arrogant young spellcaster, El Rey having clearly wanted to dress him up like a trophy or doll.

“I’ve always admired you, you know,” El Rey says, making his voice sounding almost conversational as he breaks Benjamin from his daydreaming. “Sure, you’ve always had a tendency to overreact, or fall into an anxious fit caused by that big head of yours… but you’ve never failed me when I’ve asked you to fulfill certain tasks for me. Not _once_ have you let me down,” The king circles his prisoner, a saddened look visible in the eye that hasn't been covered by his crown, his hands looking like they want to rest on Ben’s shoulders, but they pull back, revealing how uncertain El Rey really is. “So you understand why it pains me to send you away, don’t you? This _hurts_ me; right here,” The king places a hand over his heart, attempting to sympathize with his soon-to-be victim. “But there’s no other way around this, Benny.”

Ben stiffens at the use of the childish pet name; El Rey’s only ever called him that when he’s exhausted by a long day of work, or when he’s been forced to make a hard decision, or when… no, he  _ really _ needs to stop thinking about those encounters. In any case, it’s weird hearing the typically playful nickname at a time like this, when Ben’s certain he’s about to be killed by someone he cares about. “What… what’re you  _ gettin’ at,  _ Rey?” He asks, using a shortened nickname in turn, hoping it will convince El Rey to be more honest with him.

El Rey treats Ben to a rare, soft smile in return. “You need to  _ leave, _ Benny,” The king explains, turning away from his best researcher. He puts a good amount of distance between them, almost like he’s deliberately giving Benjamin room to run. “As I’m sure you’re aware, this land is running low on it’s once coveted magic… you’re one of the last few hundred. Within a decade, you’ll be all that’s left. The crown is…  _ aware  _ of this; it  _ hungers, _ but due to your exceptional loyalty towards me, I have decided that I…  _ cannot  _ end your life so soon. I cannot allow you to die by my crown, Benjamin of Nowhere,” He turns back to facing Ben, his crown glowing a horrible, bloody red, though the king doesn’t seem to notice right away. The glow makes it’s prey shiver, unnerved by the unnatural light. “So run, little spellcaster; get the  _ hell  _ out of here. The crown shall soon consume me, therefore… therefore you must  _ escape, _ before I can’t protect you anymore. Goodbye, Benny… I’m sorry that it has to end this way. Perhaps we will meet again someday, under better circumstances, but until then, adieu.”

The same moment that Benjamin realizes that El Rey loves him- those long, lingering touches weren’t  _ just  _ in his head. They were  _ real, _ and they were _ loving,  _ and El Rey never meant to break his  _ fucking  _ heart- is the same moment that the crown loses it’s patience and strikes, the king letting out a pained, horrified shout as he throws himself backwards, causing the beam to miss it’s target by a few feet. Ben has no time to tell El Rey that he loves him too, to apologize for being so distant all this time; he can only grab his beloved hat and run as fast as his legs will allow him to, the wizard throwing himself out a window to escape the crown’s second shot, the beam barely brushing past Ben’s head; to his surprise, the magic feels cold, as if nothing inside of it ever held any real lifeforce, something he’s never witnessed from magic before. He free-falls a good distance, crashing with a crack of his back into the lush green of an oak tree, tumbling through the branches like a reckless cat until he lands with an audible crunch on the ground below. Ben recovers surprisingly fast, on account of having put a light spell of protection on himself a few minutes after waking up this morning; one might think him paranoid to do such a thing on a daily basis, but considering the man he used to live and associate with… not even bothering to spare an explanation to the nearby guards, who just watched him bust ass on a forty foot drop, Ben keeps booking it towards town.

By some miracle he makes it, and hitches a ride on a caravan heading for the iron border. With one last glance at the castle-  _ he thinks he can see El Rey’s silhouette in one of the windows, watching his best friend leave for the final time, fresh tears trailing down his face- _ Benjamin climbs aboard the caravan and rides away, leaving behind a lifetime of regret in his wake.

* * *

Life is hard out in the wasteland. Ben knew it would be, of course, as this isn’t his first time living outside of the cushy, comfortable walls that the capital used to provide for him. Out here, there are no knights in shining armor or royal guardsmen to protect him, no guaranteed meals in any crowded mess halls, and no warm beds to rest his overworked body in. Ben, for the first time in several years, is on his own again, and he would be lying if he said that this wasn’t his worst fucking nightmare. After El Rey dug him out of the dirt and offered him shelter, Ben quickly became accustomed to such a gentle lifestyle, though he never forgot his roots, and certain habits were difficult to unlearn, some even impossible to let go of. Because of this, he has more of a head start when it comes to coping with his new life, having no trouble with sheathing knives in hidden pockets and sleeves, portioning out his food appropriately, and making the most out of terrible circumstances. Nonetheless, Benjamin is still suffering out in the wasteland that El Rey’s greed has created, this new world more untamed and ravenous than the forests he wandered as a young teenager. Nowadays people will shoot each other over spilled water, will steal from those that trust them, and take whatever chances they must in order to attain a better tomorrow. As a result, Ben is now being stalked by bounty hunters every single day, hundreds upon hundreds of everyday people desperate to claim his plentiful bounty.

His boots kicking up enough sand to give a horse an asthma attack, Ben stops for absolutely nothing as he runs from his hunters, at least five young bounty hunters after the wizard today. Ben has no idea what any of their names are or if they’re good people, and at this point he really doesn’t care, because  _ anyone  _ who wants to chase after the Nomad of Nowhere is a threat, and he  _ kills  _ threats. While jumping over a bush to cut through some shrubbery, Ben flips in the air, shooting a piece of glass with enough force to break through armor. To his relief, it hits one of the horsemen, the bounty hunter shouting something in a language the wizard doesn’t understand as he goes down, dead within seconds from the wound. Benjamin honestly wouldn’t mind just parking himself in a tree and doing the same to his other hunters, but with so many targets and so few pieces of ammunition- he knew he should’ve grabbed some more pebbles, but they remind him too much of Critters to use them as bullets- he’ll settle for only shooting down one or two of them, hoping to lose the rest in the woods. As expected, the other hunters’ horses put up a fuss when their riders attempt to force them over the bushes, so the bounty hunters begrudgingly dismount, bringing with them several bows and rifles to continue the hunt. In the meantime, Ben runs deeper and deeper, eventually ducking under a pile of fallen leaves to wait them out.

A few minutes pass, before the four hunters can be heard approaching on foot, the group cautious as they search for their victim. “Goddamn, can that fucker  _ run!” _ One hunter comments, his accent suggesting he’s from the capital, where hardly anyone has a southern drawl anymore. “And here I thought this was gonna be an easy hunt… suppose I should’ve brought more ammo after all.” Audibly, a gun is loaded, which means he’s probably one of the only hunters who owns a rifle.

“I warned you that shooting early into the chase would make things harder in the long run,” Another hunter- this one also sounding native to the capital, but more feminine- says, and although Benjamin can’t see her face, he imagines the huntress is rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Next time, let  _ me  _ take initiative, alright? El Rey himself said that the Nomad is friendly for the most part; we could’ve lured him into a trap instead of chasing him until sundown!”

“He never would’ve fallen for your tricks, Cassidy,” The first hunter states, annoyed by the huntress's criticism. “I mean, have you  _ seen  _ yourself? If you were planning on swooning him into a trap, he’d probably kill himself to avoid just  _ talking  _ to you!”

“That’s not what you were saying last night, Billy!” A third hunter- another huntress- quipes, giggling outright at the argument before her. “Everyone in camp could hear you moaning for her stra-”

“-I fuckin’ swear,  _ one  _ more word out ‘a any ‘a you city slickers, ‘n I’m baggin’ y’all first!” A man shouts, his accent much similar to Ben’s, but slightly more gravely and worn, suggesting he’s older, at least physically, as Ben seems to have the capacity to age much, much slower than a human being does. “Now, what’d I bring y’all out ‘ere for, huh? Any ‘a y’all wanna answer?”

There’s a tense silence, before Cassidy speaks up. “To catch the Nomad of Nowhere, right? You said we were the best hunters in the capital for the job, so you brought us all out here so we could work together to catch him.”

“Yer damn right I said dat, ‘n as annoyin’ as y’all are, I still mean it; yer da best shots we’ve got ta catchin’ the Nomad, so I expect ya ta act more professional den this!” The leader of the hunters explains, coming to stand just a few centimeters away from the leaf pile Benjamin is hiding under. “The fuck y’all think dis is, simple deer huntin’? We’re catchin’ the single most dangerous wizard in all ‘a Nowhere! Fer cryin’ out loud, look what he did ta Billy on da way in here!”

_ “That _ guy was Billy?” The second huntress asks, confused. She audibly turns to someone Ben can’t see, likely looking the other hunter over. “I thought  _ you  _ were Billy!”

“Yeah, I am,” Billy answers, revealing himself to be the first hunter that spoke up. “Sir, I think you’re talking about  _ Jimmy, _ right? Because Jimmy’s the one that got shot.”

“Whatever,” The leader mutters, not all that deterred by his mistake. “In any case, y’all gotta think ‘bout poor lil’ Timmy, ‘n how he  _ died  _ ta get us this far!”

“His dead body almost tripped my horse,” Cassidy deadpans, unaffected by Jimmy’s death; if anything, she sees it as an inconvenience. “And, uh, his name’s still  _ ‘Jimmy’, _ sir.”

“Names ain’t important!” The leader snaps, losing his patience with the group of hunters. “Y’all wanna bitch ‘n whine, when what we’ve gotta be doin’ is catchin’ dat no good nomad! Hell, fer all we know, dat vermin could be listenin’ to us as we speak!”

“Pretty sure everyone in  _ Nowhere  _ can hear you right now, boss,” The second huntress mutters, coming to stand by the leader’s side, only to trip over Benjamin on her way there, causing her to fall over and for Ben to give an unwilling yelp. “The  _ fuck  _ was that!?” The woman asks, jumping up and glaring at the pile of leaves. “Anyone else hear that? It sounded like a shout!”

There’s silence, and Ben can practically  _ feel  _ their silent nods as they aim their weapons at him, ready to fire in five, four, three, two… Ben  _ shoots  _ out of the leaves, smoke filling the air as he murmurs under his breath in Y’Dalian, his tongue feeling ticklish as he recites the familiar spell. The hunters and huntresses all break into a wild panic, firing their weapons a little too late, and as Ben had feared, they were indeed aiming at his hiding spot before he’d ran. With a slight head start, the wizard takes off as fast as he physically can from the bounty hunters, not caring if he drops anything on the way, as there’s nothing on his person that’s more worthwhile than his life, other than maybe his beloved hat, of course. Benjamin bursts through the low hanging branches and leaves, thankful for his bandana acting as a shield for his mouth, or he would be stuck chewing foliage without it. Sooner than the outlaw would like, he can hear the bounty hunters behind him again, this time shouting profanities and orders to each other, trying to get the other hunters to flank their prey, but they’re too uncoordinated and unfamiliar with each other to do so, distracting themselves by arguing. Ben, of course, uses this to his advantage, allowing himself to be less careful when sprinting… which, with his luck, gets him to trip on an unseen root, sending the outlaw tumbling into a stream to his right; to his thankfulness, the stream is very shallow, but he still gets soaked.

Ben damn near busts his head open on the way down, but miraculously, he turns up okay, though his ego’s in shambles. Oh, and the bounty hunters have caught up with him. Within minutes, Ben is surrounded on all sides, the four hunters leveling their weapons at him. “Son of a fuckin’  _ bitch.” _ Benjamin deadpans, not bothering to hold his tongue.

“We’ve got ya  _ now, _ Nomad ‘a Nowhere!” The leader shouts, looking to be much older than the other bounty hunters, confirming Ben’s suspicions. “Now dat we’ve got ya surrounded, you ain’t got no  _ choice  _ but ta surrender!”

Ben gives it a few seconds, before begrudgingly holding his hands up. “Alright, alright,” He mutters, trying to come off as bored. “Suppose you’ve got me, huh? Lemme guess, yer da leader ‘a dis here group?” He aims his question at the old man, catching on to his superiority complex rather quickly.

“Yessiree!” The old hunter says, unabashedly grinning with pride. “I’m da boss ‘a dese here hunters. Impressive, ain’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess dey are, ‘specially under  _ yer  _ incredible command, sir,” Ben agrees, hiding a devilish smirk underneath his bandana. “Guess dat means yer gettin’ the biggest share ‘a my bounty, right? Largest paycheck fer da mastermind.”

“Yer damn right I will; I deserve it!” The leader shouts, getting riled up by what he believes is Ben boosting his ego.

All of the other hunters visibly falter, giving their boss an irritated glare. “The  _ fuck  _ do you mean you’re getting the biggest share? Motherfucker, we caught him _ together;  _ we split it evenly!” Cassidy argues, sounding downright offended. “Besides, you said we’d be splitting it evenly before we left, remember? The fuck are you trying to pull?”

“Da fuck you arguin’ wid me about? I’m the leader ‘a you kids, ‘a  _ course  _ I’m gonna get paid more,” The older hunter explains, not really understanding why the others are so upset with him. “What, you kids ain’t ever heard ‘a dat rule? ‘Course not, y’all city kids ‘re livin’ too damn comfortable, prolly spoiled by yer parents.”

“You trying to say my mom’s a bad mother?” Billy challenges, growling at his superior.

Finally, the older hunter seems to realize what’s happening, lowering his gun to try and put the others at ease. “Look, kids, we ain’t gotta fight ‘bout dis,” He says, attempting to negate the damage. “Let’s jus’ bag dis here wizard ‘n-”

“-Then what? You're gonna shoot us all in the back and make off with the Nomad so you can cash him in alone?” The second huntress questions, raising her bow and arrow at her elder. “I should’ve  _ known  _ some wasteland hunter would be a fucking backstabber, just like everyone in the capital always says they are… you dirt lickers are all the same.”

“Da fuck you call me, lil’ girl!?” The leader loses his cool in an instant, raising his gun again. “You better watch yer fuckin’ mouth, or I’ll put ya in yer fuckin’ place!”

“Her _ place?  _ God, you’re such a bastard,” Billy mutters, aiming his own rifle at the other man. “You’ve got two options, old man; either walk away with your life and let us claim the bounty for ourselves, or I shoot you dead where you stand.”

“Dis is  _ mutiny!”  _ The older hunter shouts, red in the face and refusing to move a muscle, except of course to swing his gun wildly at the other hunters. “I’m da one who tracked da nomad, if anyone’s gettin’ dat bounty, it’s  _ me!” _

Benjamin watches this all go down with no small amount of contentment, finding this all very funny, and the closest he’s going to get to live entertainment nowadays. This isn’t his first time being trapped between a group of bounty hunters, and just like it has in the past, his best course of action is to turn them all against each other, as more often than not, they’re a ragtag group of hunters who only teamed up out of necessity. It doesn’t always work, due to hunting parties sometimes consisting of close friends and/or family, but he can usually get them to argue about  _ something, _ and once that argument starts… Ben begins to try subtly scooting away from the group of hunters, hoping he’ll be able to escape, however, before he can get away, someone fires a shot. He actually can’t tell who shot first, the leader or Billy, but either way, the younger hunters quickly open fire on their elder, sending him down rather quickly, a few arrows and bullets imbedded into his jacket. Benjamin gives the corpse a wide-eyed look, surprised that the guy was killed so quickly; he’s seen fighting break out before, of course, but he’s never seen such a quick death in such a short amount of time. If that weren’t enough, the capital bounty hunters start arguing too, though with less anger in their tones, mostly trying to figure out what to do about this new body, and how to transport the nomad. With the group distracted, Ben again tries to sneak away, this time making it out of the creek before someone spots him.

“Hey!” Billy shouts, pointing at the wizard. “He’s getting away!”

“Damn right I am! See you lil’ fuckers in  _ hell!”  _ Ben can’t help but shout back, before holding onto his hat and gunning it.

Ben is laughing as loud as he can as he takes off, finding all of this absolutely hilarious, but his laughter is quickly halted, as just as he’s getting to one of the forest’s many exits, he feels a sudden, searing pain in the back of his right calve. Too afraid to look down and see what’s causing his pain, Ben just keeps going, adrenaline carrying him the rest of the way as his laughter simmers down to a pained grunt. To his relief, the bounty hunters can’t keep up with him, allowing the wizard to escape the woods before them, though Ben doesn’t dare slow down, running with all his might for as long as he can through the vast desert, only a scant few dead trees lining the path before him. Once upon a time, this place was a beautiful, overgrown forest, more or less untouched by man, but after the magic was drained from this sacred place… well, it died, just like every wizard that El Rey’s ever set his hands on. Every wizard except, of course, the Nomad of Nowhere. A few hours ago, Benjamin was using the forest he’s now escaping as a temporary base of operations, allowing the flora to grow and flourish again due to his presence, but now that he’s been seen there, he has to run away, leaving the forest to wilt away and die without so much as a funeral. It actually breaks Ben’s heart to see such a great amount of death, but with no other choice but to keep running, he does just that, having no time to care too much about forests and jungles, not when his life's on the line on such a daily basis.

Eventually, Ben’s legs give out from under him, the wizard collapsing on the dirt path, his right leg hurting too badly for him to keep going anymore. Almost pathetically, Ben drags himself off of the marked path he’d been following, all the while praying to a higher power that he isn’t leaving a blood trail behind. The outlaw keeps going, arms beginning to ache, but he bites his tongue and endures the pain, his drive to survive stronger than anything else. Ben soon finds a large shrub of briar, and although the prickly thorns puncture through his clothes and cut up his onyx tinted skin, Benjamin grits his teeth and rolls into the hiding spot, his body in more pain than it has been in a long time. In the meantime, the bounty hunters dash by his hiding spot, having gone back for their horses in order to catch up with him. Thankfully they don’t notice him, not thinking to check the prickly bramble, likely believing that Ben isn’t hardy enough to endure the pain. He waits a few minutes to move, and after about a half hour, the wizard scurries out of his hiding spot, rolling onto his back to see what hit him earlier. To his relief, it’s a bullet and not an arrow, because although bullets are more painful going in, they’re less painful to get out, at least, as long as you know what you’re doing, and Ben does, having been doing this for quite awhile now. Ben pulls it out using his magic, as he doesn’t want to cause anymore damage by doing it manually, but once it’s out, he lays his head back, letting out a long, ragged sigh.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Ben curses to himself, the sun beginning to set nearby, promising him the sweet silence of the nighttime in an hour or so. “Spent all fuckin’ day runnin’ from dem bounty hunters… jus’ another day fer da Nomad, I guess,” Begrudgingly, he sits up, hissing through his teeth at the sharp, burning pain that erupts from the bullet hole. “Goddammit!” He shouts, clutching his calve for dear life, hoping pressure will stop the pain.

Unfortunately, this merely dulls it, though it’s still pretty fucking unbearable. “Guess I ain’t movin’ too soon,” Benjamin mutters, giving the nearby shrub of briar a quizzical look. “Ya know, much as dat fuckin’ hurt ta be in… provides decent cover, ‘cus I doubt no animal’s gonna wanna maim me through dat shit,” He crawls back in, again wincing at the pain, but it’s nothing compared to trying to walk elsewhere in his search for decent shelter. And honestly, the longer he’s getting stabbed by the thorns, the less it actually hurts, the wizard growing used to it quickly. Ben lies down again, trying to keep most of the bramble above him and not under him, as well as away from his face. “Well… goodnight, Ben.” He tells himself, and as he drifts off to sleep, he can’t help but wonder what it would be like if he found a briar bush that was as big as a forest to hide in, as no living soul would want to track him into such a place.

* * *

It feels surreal, that only a few months after coming up with such a stupid and silly idea, that Benjamin genuinely happens across a forest made purely of briar.

Upon further investigation, the outlaw recognizes this place. Years and years ago, while working under El Rey as his lead researcher in magical artifacts, Ben had led a small party of soldiers into this briar in search of anything worthwhile, as he had believed such a treacherous location was bound to house something truly amazing. The guards he’d brought along, as well as El Rey himself when he’d heard of Ben’s insane idea, had rolled their eyes and grumbled about the wizard being ridiculous again, how this mission was a waste of everyone’s time, but El Rey being well,  _ El Rey,  _ had gone along with Ben’s plans without much of a fuss, giving his researcher everything he’d wanted for the expedition. As luck would have it, the crew of soldiers had found a small monument to a long forgotten deity among the thickest roots and thorns, and after Benjamin had paid his respects in the forms of a short prayer and small loaf of fresh bread- the guards had again huffed at this, claiming him to be paranoid, but Ben was not about to let himself be cursed by a vengeful god for disturbing their property- the group had collected a great deal of spellbooks, enchanted jewelry, and satchels filled with gold. After they’d left, the once lush, thick jungle had wilted and fallen to ruin, having lost it’s small horde of magic. Back then, Ben hadn’t cared all that much, having only cared about making El Rey happy, but now, well…

Now the wizard can’t help but find it ironic that he’s about to lie in a graveyard of his and his best friend’s foolishness, not that it’s enough to scare him away.

It’s while Benjamin is looking the briar over from afar, the traveler decked out in a disguise of overalls and a plaid shirt to keep from being immediately recognized as the Nomad of Nowhere, that he hears a commotion from behind him. The man turns around, eyes widening when he realizes that the farm that he’d hoped was abandoned, on account of most of the plants being dead, is not nearly as lifeless as he believed it to be. In fact, Ben now sees a number of what he thinks to be children, seeing as they’re so short, all huddled together on the back porch of their house, the lot of them ogling the stranger from a distance. Unwillingly, Ben shivers, not all that fond of being stared at, not that he can blame the poor kids, as he doubts they get many visitors this far out in the wastelands of Nowhere. After a bit more observing, one of the smaller boys- he has shaggy red hair in vicious curls on the top of his head, and were it not for all the dirt on his face, the outlaw would be able to see his many freckles- comes squirming out from the pack of children, and before any of his older siblings can grab the boy, he’s running towards Benjamin at top speed. He trips on the way over, face-planting in the dirt  _ hard.  _ Ben winces at the sight, and is tempted to just walk away, but when the kid stays on the ground for a bit too long… cursing under his breath, Ben hops the fence of the family’s farm, striding over to the fallen child to help the poor kid up.

Once he’s within range, Ben can make out the boy’s sobbing, and again he cringes, but he’s not so uncomfortable that he won’t help the child to his feet. Crouching by the boy’s side, Ben gets on his level, speaking in a calm tone to keep the kid from freaking out. “Hey dere, buckaroo,” He greets, holding out his hand to the little one. “Need a hand?”

The kid hesitates for a second, eyes fixated on Ben’s hand, but after a few seconds, he grabs onto it, allowing the stranger to pull him to his feet. “Thank ya kindly, mister.” The boy says, his voice wobbling a tad, still wet from all his crying.

“You alright?” Ben asks, looking the child over carefully, though he doesn’t see any obvious scratches or cuts on the boy’s body. “Dat was one heck of a fall back dere.”

“It was nothin’,” The boy boasts, now trying to come off as brave in front of the stranger. “Once I fell out da top window ‘a da barn, ‘n Mama said my arm looked like a mashed up tato!” He holds up the arm in question, rolling up his shirt sleeve to show Ben a long, gnarly scar running down from his elbow to his armpit. “It was real gruesome lookin’, but I was up ‘n runnin’ in no time flat! Mama says I gots an angel watchin’ me ‘r whatever, but it better not be watchin’ when I’m pissin’!”

“Sounds like yer tough as nails.” Benjamin agrees, unable to keep from chuckling at the bluntness of the boy in front of him. In all honesty, he’s always liked kids for that very reason, finding their honesty and lack of a filter very entertaining, though most people he knows find such things too annoying to put up with.

“Yessiree, I sure am!” The child shouts, striking a pose he likely thinks is very heroic and cool, but it mostly reminds Ben of how young this kid probably is. “By da by, mister, my name’s Christopher Driller, but you can jus’ call me Chris! What’s yer name, huh? You gots one? Would be awful sad if ya didn’t have no name.”

Ben nods, racking his brain for a fake name, but he stops abruptly, remembering the fact that none of El Rey’s wanted posters actually have his first name on them… it wouldn’t hurt to just go by his real name, right? “Da name’s Benjamin-” He pauses, having never had a last name other than Nowhere, as that’s what all orphans use, but seeing as that’s just a  _ bit  _ too close to Nomad of Nowhere… “-Diggs, but you can jus’ call me Ben, alright?” He pulls a last name out of his ass, figuring it’s common enough not to be suspicious.

“Ben? Dat’s a good name, not dat I’ve heard ‘a it before,” Chris admits, turning to look towards all of his siblings, who have been frozen in fear on the porch still, not as brave as their brother. “Ey, all y’all chickens; come meet Benjamin Diggs!”

At that, a few of the other young kids come scuttling over, thankfully not falling down like their brother did. Altogether, about three girls and one more boy joins Chris, the lot of them surrounding Ben on all sides. _ “Wow… _ Ben Diggs,” The other boy says, marveling at the adult with wide, curious eyes. “You related ta Sarah Diggs up in Barrelville? I met ‘er last fall at da market, ‘n we’ve been sendin’ each other letters fer awhile now! You her Daddy? Can I marry ‘er?  _ Please?  _ I promise ta be a good husband.”

“Naw, I ain’t got no kids ‘a my own yet.” Ben admits, trying to keep an eye on all of the kids at once, but it’s difficult when there’s so many of them.

“Wow, really? How old ‘re ya, mister Benjamin?” One of the girls asks, her hair being the longest out of all of her sisters.

“Twenty-two,” Benjamin lies, mostly because he knows that if he were to tell these kids he’s one-hundred and fifty-two, they either wouldn’t believe him or would run screaming to tell their folks. “How old ‘re you lot, huh?” He asks the question in turn, hoping it’ll shut them up about his age.

“I’m eight ‘n six months,” Chris answers, looking all too proud of himself. He then starts pointing to the other kids surrounding Ben, listing off their names and ages. “Amber’s eight ‘n six months too, ‘cus we twins, Derek’s eleven, Lucy’s six, ‘n lil’ Mary Ann’s four ‘n a half!”

“I see,” Ben simply nods his head, hands coming to rest in his pockets, if only so these kids don’t try pickpocketing him while he’s distracted by their interrogation. “Looks like y’all got one hell of a clan out ‘ere… ey, where’s yer folks? Don’t worry, I won’t go tattlin’ ‘r nothin’, I’m jus’ lookin’ ta have some borin’ grown up talk wid ‘em.”

Derek- the eleven year old if Ben’s remembering correctly- perks up at that. “Grown up talk? What kind? I can talk like my folks,” He promises, trying to stand straighter and puff his chest out, attempting to look more mature than he is. “You lookin’ ta trade, Mr. Diggs?”

As Ben opens his mouth to answer him, he hears yelling from the house. “Da hell’s goin’ on out ‘ere!?” An adult, male voice shouts, sounding madder than all hell. “You kids gettin’ inta trouble out ‘ere!? I told y’all ta git yer chores done, or you ain’t gettin’ no supper!”

“Daddy, dere’s a man ‘ere!” Mary Ann yells, jumping up and down with her excitement. “His name’s Den Digger!”

“It’s  _ Ben Diggs, _ Mary.” Lucy corrects, giving her sister a loving smile despite her slip-up.

“Dat’s what I says, ain’t it?” Mary Ann asks, confused by the correction.

Not that it matters, as soon enough, the remaining crowd of children- all appearing older than the kids surrounding Benjamin, which suggests they’re less inclined to talk to newcomers- make way for their father, the man appearing from behind the group of redheads. The children’s father is a short, gangly man with a receding hairline, though his hair is a slightly darker shade than most of the other children’s, his hair almost appearing brown at a glance. He’s decked out in dark blue overalls, which are covered in discolored patches and stains, suggesting they’ve been in use for a long,  _ long  _ time. The farmer gives Ben a scowl from afar, before clapping his hands several times in quick succession, attempting to scare the little ones away. This works like a charm, as Chris and his siblings take off like stray cats, running towards the fields in an attempt to make it look like they were working all this time. As the father approaches, Ben begins to feel uneasy, something about the man unsettling him; he’s obviously quite strict, if his shouting earlier was anything to go off of, and may very well just view his kids as extra hands for the farm, something that’s rather common nowadays. On top of that, the guy’s wielding a large hunting rifle, which he has slung over his shoulder as he strides towards Ben, his very presence reeking of unpleasantness and caution. Not that the wizard really blames him for being careful, having seen firsthand how dangerous this wasteland can be.

The farmer reaches Ben soon enough, standing only a few inches taller than the short magic user. “Evenin’, stranger,” The farmer greets, his voice gruff. “What’s brought ya all da way out to Driller Farm, huh? You tryin’ ta trade? We ain’t interested, so I suggest you jus’ move along.”

“I don’t gotta trade, sir,” Benjamin assures, though he’s secretly disappointed, having wanted to restock on food and water. Almost sheepishly, he offers his right hand to the farmer, trying to be friendly. “Da name’s Benjamin Diggs, sir… pleasure ta meet ya.”

The other man hesitates, before reluctantly accepting the handshake. “Benjamin Diggs, huh? I’m guessing you ain’t related to da Diggs up in Barrelville, right?” When Ben simply shakes his head, the farmer huffs. “Figured as much; yer too short ta be one ‘a dem blondes… name’s Phillip, by the way; Phillip Driller, ‘n I’m da owner ‘a this ‘ere farm.”

Ben nods, eyes glancing around the property. “Very impressive, what y’all got set up out here… you been livin’ ‘ere awhile now? Run inta much trouble in dese parts?” He’s mostly asking out of curiosity, wanting to know if they’re visited very often by outsiders, though he seriously doubts it.

“Why ya askin’, stranger? You lookin’ ta chase us out?” Phillip raises his rifle at Ben, and from afar, the outlaw watches the kids all run and duck for cover, terrified now that their father’s gun might be used.

“Phillip Jacob Driller, if you fire a shot at another fuckin’ newcomer, I’ll have yer hide!” A woman’s voice screams, and within seconds, a tiny woman with frizzy, light red hair comes charging out of the house, waving a rolling pin at the two men.

Instinctively, Benjamin raises his hands in surrender, while Phillip simply deflates. “Goddammit, Linda,” He says, rolling his eyes at his wife’s fussing. “What you gettin’ on me ‘bout dis time? I’m jus’ makin’ sure dis stranger knows we ain’t no pushovers! What, you  _ want us _ gettin’ raided!?”

Linda simply sighs, shaking her head at her husband’s behavior. “I’m awful sorry fer Phillip’s fussin’, mister,” She says, offering Ben a sheepish smile. “I’m Melinda Driller, ‘n I more or less keep da peace ‘round ‘ere… I reckon you must be dat Benjamin my lil’ ones came shoutin’ ta me about, right? Well, welcome ta Driller Farm; it’s wonderful seein’ a new face out ‘ere.”

Phillip visibly falters, then glares a little at Linda. “He ain’t _ stayin’, _ Linda,” He states, leveling his glare at Ben again, though he thankfully puts the gun back down. “We don’t need no neighbors out ‘ere; hardly ‘nough water fer us, much less another wanderer from up north.”

“We don’t own all ‘a Nowhere, Phil,” Linda deadpans, still not the least bit intimidated by Phillip’s boastering. “Don’t know why ya gotta be so cruel ta everybody who comes through ‘ere; dis is why we don’t get many visitors.”

“Dat’s why we moved ‘ere, ain’t it? Not safe elsewhere, wid da fuckin’ king actin’ like some kinda-” Phillip suddenly pauses, eyeing the sky carefully; crows are flying around nearby, circling the area like vultures. “Well, da king… he don’t need us folk underfoot.” He changes tune in an instant, not wanting to talk ill of El Rey when the king’s favorite birds are airborne.

Ben silently marvels at this, shocked that these otherwise inconspicuous farmers are aware of El Rey’s ability to speak and look through the eyes of crows. Are they… the wizard’s heartbeat speeds up in his chest, excited at the thought of finding other people like him. Hell, if there are other magic users that are still alive, why  _ wouldn’t  _ they make a home for themselves on the outskirts of Nowhere? It would be the safest place to be. Of course, Benjamin’s still a bit unsure, as certain behaviors of there’s are peculiar for magic users. Namely, he’s confused as to why they’d have so many damn kids, as most wizards only have one kid if they can help it, the especially lucky few having twins or- in one case that Ben witnessed, which he had been stunned by- triplets. He’s not sure entirely  _ why  _ it’s always been this way, but if he had to guess, he’d hypothesize it’s because of magic’s inherent attraction to itself, and the more magic that’s huddled in one place, the more likely it is you’ll be found out as a magic user. Even if this is the case, Ben can’t  _ completely  _ dismiss the idea that Phillip and Linda are wizards; after all, not everyone born to a wizard will be a magic user, so maybe they’re just trying to make sure they have at least a few magical kids? It’s risky, but with the bullshit that goes on nowadays, Ben can’t blame them for trying something new. In any case, he almost  _ hopes  _ these people are wizards, if only so he won’t be so lonely anymore.

How  _ wonderful  _ would it be if Benjamin found a family of wizards? Sure, it would be dangerous, as El Rey would likely find him more quickly, but it’s not like the wanderer hasn’t been close to being captured before. If these folks find out he’s a wizard too, will they be happy as well? Will Phillip invite him inside, and drop the tough guy routine? Will Linda offer him warm food to eat, and a soft bed to sleep in? Will the kids view him as a cool new uncle, whom they can ask to learn magic from? Ben shakes his head in earnest, hating himself for being so childish, but he can’t keep from wishing for such things, having always longed for a family of his own. After his dear father passed away out of seemingly nowhere, there was no one there to help him, and he was forced to walk the world alone, always wondering what it would be like to have a mother, or have kids of his own. Is he such a terrible person for wishing for peace? For  _ happiness?  _ No, Ben knows he isn’t inherently wrong for yearning in his spare time, but again, he knows such a thing can never be attained. He’s a wanted man, after all, and El Rey’s forces won’t stop until he’s either been murdered by bounty hunters, or consumed by the king’s cursed, cannibal crown. Eventually, Benjamin takes a deep breath, centering himself in the present before he can become anymore lost in his daydreaming; wishful thinking will do him no favors, and will only get him distracted and killed.

“Benjamin? Honey, are you alright?” Linda asks, breaking Ben out of his trance. “Goodness, you look as shook up as a chicken… ‘prolly gettin’ heat stroke wid all dem layers on,” She reaches a hand out, trying to grab Ben’s bandana. “Here, baby, lemme get dis o-”

Ben jolts back a little too fast, hands coming to hold onto his bandana for dear life. “N-No, ma’am, I’m fine,” He insists, skittish after almost having one of his comfort items taken. “I, uh… don’t care fer da cold none, so I’d best stay bundled.”

Phillip squints his eyes with suspicion, not trusting Ben’s explanation. “What you hidin’ under dere, huh? You one a dem Y’Dala bastards, ‘ere ta steal our shit?”

“Phil, stop bullyin’ ‘im; he’s jus’ shy!” Linda insists, glaring wholeheartedly at her husband. “I swear, if you scare another stranger off, I’mma baste ya like da chicken you are.”

“Yer too easy on strangers, Linda,” Phillip says, a sneer on his wrinkled face. “One ‘a dese days, somebody’s gonna walk right in ‘ere ‘n shoot us all dead, ‘n yer still gonna be bitchin’ ‘bout how we should give ‘em da benefit ‘a the doubt.”

“I’m awful sorry fer disturbin’ y’all,” Benjamin doesn’t  _ mean  _ to interrupt… except, well, he  _ does, _ as he hates to watch a domestic dispute go down right in front of him. “Look, I ain’t here ta start no trouble, alright? I’m only ‘ere ta scope shit out, figure out if I wanna move inta a place ‘round ‘ere.” He purposefully keeps things vague, as at this point, he seriously doubts they’re magic users; sure, a lot of wizards are known for being gruff and/or odd, but these folks- well, only really Phillip- are just plain mean, and Ben isn’t inclined to befriend anyone who’s mean if he can help it.

“We don’t need no neighbors!” Phillip repeats, even angrier than he was before. “You got dat, fucker? We ain’t lookin’ ta make friends out ‘ere!”

Linda looks ready to argue again, but soon enough, she simply sighs in defeat, unwilling to keep fighting with her husband. “My apologies, Mr. Diggs, but it ‘prolly would be best if you done moved someplace else… I’m awful sorry, sir; Phil’s been in a bad mood ever since our last crop went bad.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, Linda, it was magic dat done cursed our crop!” Phillip insists, his tone vengeful and paranoid. “Fer christ’s sake, lookit dis guy; he looks jus’ like one a dem wizards on da run, ‘n I ain’t lookin’ ta get cursed again.”

Benjamin has to fight to keep from flinching at that, less than enthusiastic about hearing how much Phillip hates wizards… seems these folk aren’t magic users after all.  _ Although…  _ the longer Linda’s standing close to him, the more Ben is filled with a sense of kinship. He knows damn well that they aren’t physically related, but even if this woman isn’t a full-blooded wizard herself, she most certainly has a parent that is. Whether they’re alive or not is up in the air- Ben wouldn’t put too much faith in the idea, seeing as most wizards don’t live to be very old these days, save of course for him- but they’ve left energy on their daughter, resulting in Linda’s aura feeling so familiar to the outlaw. Offhandedly, Ben looks towards the house, finding that the children have all gone back to what they were doing earlier, trying their hardest to ignore what’s going on between their parents and the newcomer. They’re all too far away for Ben to try scanning them for potential, but he’d honestly be surprised if none of them could be wizards in the making… were El Rey not such a savage man, and didn’t eat magic like it was breakfast, Benjamin would be inclined to tell him about these kids, if only so he could teach the most potent of them how to use magic like their souls were meant to. Shaking it off, Ben’s eyes land on Phillip again, the farmer looking just about ready to skin the wizard alive if he doesn’t get moving soon… unfortunately for all involved, Ben has never been known for his self-preservation skills, and he probably won’t get better at it anytime soon.

“Before I up ‘n go,” Ben can’t help but say, pulling out a small bag of coins from one of his many pockets. “I know y’all ain’t wantin’ me ‘round, but do ya think we could at least trade? I’ve got gold, as well as da jewels dey use fer tradin’ up in the mountains.” Oh sure,  _ Phillip  _ isn’t willing to trade, but with Linda nearby, maybe they can do business after all. Ben’s honestly desperate to buy more food and water.

“I already told ya, we ain’t open fer tradin’!” Phillip repeats, raising his gun a half inch, if only to remind Ben that he has it.

“Oh, come on, Phillip,” Linda mutters, pouting at her partner. “Ya already got what ya want in scarin’ ‘im off; least we can do is trade wid ‘im,” She gazes into Ben’s coin pouch, eyes widening at the sight of such rare pieces of currency. “Goodness, he’s even got capital coins, Phil! Dese would trade well at da market.”

“Market’s a long fuckin’ walk,” Phillip points out, giving the coins a more cautious examination. “Where you git those, Diggs? I ain’t ever met nobody from da capital. Don’t tell me…” He suddenly growls, his eyes full of an all too familiar fury. “Yer a bounty hunter, ain’t ya!? Fuckin’ hell, I  _ knew  _ you was trouble!”

_ “Oh, if only you fuckin’ knew,” _ Ben thinks, internally laughing his ass off at the misunderstanding, though he isn’t about to correct the farmer. “Look, Mr. Driller, I ain’t no fuckin’ bounty hunter; jus’ a wanderin’ soul who’s lookin’ ta survive out ‘ere, ‘n I need food ta do that. Can we  _ please  _ jus’ trade? I’ll pay more den any trader you ever met.”

Phillip considers Ben a bit longer, before glaring at him again, stubborn in his decision to not trust the other man. “No means  _ no, _ Ben,” He deadpans, finally using Ben’s first name, though it’s too little too late, his unfriendly behavior already making the wizard hate him. “Now git, ya hear? I see yer mug ‘ere again, I’mma chase you out like a stray!” He then turns heel, stomping back towards the house.

Linda gives Benjamin another apologetic look, eyes full of sorrow. “Sorry, Benny,” She says, offering him a slight smile to be kind. “Don’t you worry though, there’s a market up north ‘a ways, ‘n their prices ain’t too bad,” She points north, trying to give the wanderer directions. “Jus’ follow da road once ya find it, alright? You be safe out dere.” She too returns to the townhouse, likely to calm Phillip down.

Ben watches her go, feeling all kinds of uncomfortable. Phillip is honestly one of the rudest motherfuckers the outlaw has ever met, but as terrible as the man is acting, he still can’t say he blames Phillip for his adversity towards newcomers. Having spent decades on the road, the wizard knows all too well how shitty other people can be, especially to people they don’t know, and with this guy having a big family to protect… if Ben were him, he’d probably be an asshole, too. Regardless of his new neighbor’s terrible behavior, the wanderer is still interested in setting roots in the briar, eyes coming to linger on the forest he ransacked so many years ago… listlessly, one of his gloved hands slips into his pocket, pulling out the silver necklace El Rey gave him. Ben’s considered tossing it about a thousand times, and he’s thought of trading it for food too, but… well, it’s all he has left from his time with the king, and as stupid as it is, Benjamin doesn’t want to get rid of the necklace anytime soon. Actually, now that he’s looking at it again, the outlaw realizes that this was one of the objects obtained from the briar, though it was dismissed as being mere jewelry, with no magic potential whatsoever. Ben still doesn’t think it’s magical, but… in any case, he’s inadvertently brought it home, and he plans on keeping it and himself there for some time, no matter how difficult the Drillers are going to be towards him.

Offhandedly, Benjamin glances at a shed nearby, having a strong suspicion that it’s a thinly disguised pantry, based off of one of the kids carrying a bag of rice into it for storage… he gives a slight smile, even as his mind comes up with a truly  _ devious  _ idea. He won’t  _ entirely  _ screw these people over, if only because the kids and Linda are nice, and seeing as there is indeed a market nearby… Ben will get the food and water he needs, even if it means performing some rather  _ unorthodox  _ trades to get them.

* * *

As planned, Ben doesn’t go for the pantry until a few weeks have passed, the wizard hoping to give his neighbors enough time to forget about him entirely. During that period of time, he watches the family from afar, memorizing their habits and routines, slowly but surely discovering the holes in their dynamic. While Phillip obviously loves his children to some degree, the man is a bit of a tyrant when it comes to child rearing, Benjamin witnessing more than one instance of him screaming at or belittling his kids out in the open, something that deeply unsettles the wanderer. At the very least, the guy hasn’t beaten any of the kids yet, at least, not that Ben’s seen, though he wouldn’t be surprised if more is happening behind closed doors. Nonetheless, the spellcaster continues spying on his neighbors, watching to see what they’re like. Very early on, he notices a pattern in the form of all the older kids- he thinks the oldest is in their mid twenties, but it’s hard to tell from afar- looking more drained than the rest, too accustomed to their father’s abuse to fight back anymore, while a good chunk of the younger kids are still curious and excitable, wanting to explore more than anything else. In time, Ben has a feeling most if not all of them will become like their elders, and will lose that spark of innocence and bravery… it honestly hurts Ben to witness such a thing, angry on their behalf for being doomed to such a sorry existence.

Even so, Benjamin still has to take care of himself, and that means stealing enough food to get him through the next few days. He hates to lower himself to the status of a petty thief, but he’s done worse for less in his time away from the capital, and he’s certain that he’s probably got a lot more sinning to do before he dies. Shaking it off, Ben steadies himself, breathing in and out as he trudges through the thick briar of his new home, this forest’s energy feeling akin to a carcase, so much so that he’s regularly unsettled by his surroundings. But it’s home, at least until winter passes, so he’ll just deal with it until spring. After that, Ben isn’t sure where he’ll end up next, but he hopes the location will be as isolated as his briar is. After another while of walking, Ben finally reaches the edge of the forest, giving the outside of it a careful once-over, his body tense as he looks for anything that might deter him from the farm. To his relief, the family’s two dogs, Muffin and Tootsie, are inside tonight, allowing the wizard to scamper onto their property without any risk of being caught. Oh sure, someone inside could see him, but with his dark clothes and the general darkness of the nighttime, Ben isn’t too worried about that. Skillfully, he steps quietly out of the forest, sprinting for the pantry with a fair amount of excitement, the man hopeful that he’ll have a decent dinner tonight, so long as everything goes according to plan.

Soon enough, he’s in front of the tiny shack that is the Driller family’s pantry, the small building shrouded in darkness on the inside, as one of the kids smartly blew out the candles before going to bed. Benjamin doesn’t even hesitate, stepping right into the pantry without much caution, as he’s never had to deal with any traps from people like this before, and he certainly doesn’t fear anything these simple farmers can toss his way. Tonight, however, that’s his downfall, as the  _ minute  _ he steps through the doorway, the door swings shut behind him, the moonlight no longer lighting his way. Ben jolts, reaching for the knife on his belt, but he doesn’t grab it in time, as before he can, someone jumps him from behind, throwing themselves on top of him. Ben yelps outright, thankfully not Screeching with his powers, or he’d wake the whole family, not to mention scare them shitless. In any case, he’s still pretty sure he and his attacker are going to cause a ruckus, but to his continued shock, whoever’s on top of him is better at fighting than he expected. Above him, Ben’s assailant pins the wizard to the dirt floor of the pantry, putting all of their weight between his shoulder blades, keeping the inhuman man down, with very little hope of getting back up without permission. Sure, he could cast a fireball, but Ben doesn’t think he should  _ kill  _ his attacker; after all, they’re probably just one of the Driller kids.

“Ya know, when I get pinned to da floor by a stranger, I gotta admit, I usually end up on my  _ back  _ more often den not,” Benjamin says, throwing all caution to the wind, not really concerned about his position, even if he is secretly a bit paranoid that the family could have called a bounty hunter in to take care of him. “So what’s it gonna be, buddy? Ya gonna make dis interestin’, or are we sleepin’ ‘ere tonight?”

“Oh, shut up, boy; you don’t frighten me none!” A feminine voice growls from above the outlaw, the woman careful not to speak too loudly, which probably means this is going to be a quiet affair. “Quit yer squirmin’, won’t ya? Jesus, yer worse than Oliver when he needs a bath!”

Ben cuts it out, no longer kicking up dust with his boots. Instead, he tries rolling over, but his assailant won’t give him any room, so he huffs with impatience, annoyed by his predicament. “Dammit, yer killin’ my fuckin’ arms back dere; can’t I get at least a  _ lil’  _ wigglin’ room? Gonna break dis horse early.”

“I told you to shut up. Seriously, you  _ tryin’  _ ta wake all ‘a Nowhere? Yer harder ta keep still den a wild mule,” The woman comments, and the longer she talks, the less Ben fears that she may be a bounty hunter, her accent too strong for her to be from the capital. “Don’t you worry none, buckaroo… you gotta answer some questions fer me, den we can work on lettin’ you go on yer merry way again,” She explains, tone stern. “What’re you doin’ stealin’ from my family, huh? Can’t grow yer own food out dere in da briar?”

“Um… sorta, yeah,” Benjamin doesn’t bother lying, figuring it won’t do him much good while he’s on the floor. “Jus’ planted a few things out dere, but ain’t nothin’ willin’ ta grow ‘til I’m either settled ‘r the cold stops, ‘n seein’ as fall is almost ‘ere…” Sighing, he squirms again, uncomfortable with his body being pressed on so heavily. “Look, I didn’t mean ta cause no trouble, miss, but yer folks weren’t willin’ ta trade, and a man’s gotta eat. I wasn’t gonna outright steal nothin’, seein’ as I’ve got money ta leave behind, but I ain’t got no other options ‘ere.”

To Ben’s relief, this causes his captor to ease up on his back, allowing the wizard some wiggle room, but not enough to let him roll over or stand up. “So all dat talk ‘bout a traveler comin’ through wasn’t jus’ Christopher playin’ pretend again,” The assailant says, apparently surprised by the news. Because of this, she quickly drops her tough guy act, wanting to be kind to the man under her. “I’m awful sorry Ma and Pa haven’t been willin’ ta trade wid ya, mister… if it makes ya feel any better, me ‘n my siblings don’t think yer as bad as Daddy says ya are, ‘specially if yer bein’ honest ‘bout the money. Look, mister, maybe we could-”

“-It’s  _ Ben,”  _ Ben snaps, quickly growing tired of being addressed in such a formal manner, not accustomed to it. “My name is _ Benjamin, _ alright? But y’all ‘re fine ta call me Ben.”

“Ben,” The woman repeats, and finally she stands up, allowing the wizard freedom of his body again. “Well, if we’re sharin’ names, den I best share mine as well… I’m Annabeth, but most folks have taken ta callin’ me Anna. If I catch ya callin’ me Beth though, I’mma snap yer spine faster den lightning!”

Benjamin simply nods, sitting up with a groan as he dusts himself off, feeling far older than he is mentally, his back aching with unwelcome pain. Once he’s recovered, he stands back up to his full height, unable to keep from turning around and seeing which of the little shits jumped him. Unsurprisingly, Annabeth is revealed to be one of the older children that Ben’s seen around, on account of her being one of the tallest kids on the farm, which isn’t really saying much, seeing as her whole fucking family is short as hell; this makes it so that Anna isn’t all that much shorter than Ben, looking to only be an inch or so smaller than him. Brushing that aside, the wizard looks his attacker over very carefully, trying to get a better idea of what she’s up to. Anna, like her siblings, is a redhead with freckles, though she doesn’t have nearly as many freckles as some of her other siblings. Luckily for her, her hair more than makes up for it, being a lighter and more lively red than the dark russet of some of the other kids. She’s frail looking at a glance, but after their scuffle, Ben knows this young lady is stronger than she appears, and has gotten some practice with fistfighting before, likely from growing up among several siblings close to her in age. After a long period of awkward silence, Anna gives up on being any sort of subtle, the redhead looking Ben up and down, causing the outlaw to subconsciously squirm with discomfort, unaccustomed to such treatment.

“Um…  _ so,” _ Benjamin  _ hates  _ how awkward he sounds, his uneasiness painfully obvious to the young farmer. “Pleasure ta meet ya, Miss Anna,” He goes for being formal, as that usually works on the women he’s met during his travels. He even bows for good measure, tempted to kiss the girl’s hand, but he doesn’t want to risk getting backhanded. “So sorry again fer botherin’ ya, but as you’ll soon see, I ain’t takin’ nothin’ without givin’ in return, so if you wouldn’t mi-” He goes to grab a bag of rice, trying to be subtle about it.

In a flash, Annabeth has his wrist in a deathgrip, the farmer giving Ben a disappointed glare for his trouble. “-Now don’t go thinkin’ yer off the hook jus’ yet, boy,” She growls, something in her tone making Ben regret visiting on this particular night to steal food. “You don’t go takin’ without anybody’s permission; sure you was planin’ on leavin’ us money, but it’s still a pain ta walk to the market, and we need food jus’ as much as yer sorry butt does. If you’ve got so much flippin’ money, why don’t  _ you  _ walk to the market? What, ‘re you too lazy?”

All at once, Ben is reminded of his old mentor, Anna’s tone resembling the hermit's whenever he caught his apprentice doing something he shouldn’t have been. “Well, uh, ya see…” Ben stutters just like he did as a young child, not sure what to say. For whatever reason, he can’t bring back his sauveness from earlier, the strictness of his opponent’s voice making him feel like he’s at a disadvantage.

To his eternal gratitude, Ann seems to catch onto his anxiousness, letting out a sigh as she let’s go of his wrist. “Sorry, Ben,” She apologizes, feeling bad for spooking him. “Wasn’t my intention ta go actin’ like my own Daddy on ya… but why  _ do  _ you wanna steal from us? I get dat food ain’t growin’ yet at yer place, but it ain’t like dere’s no market at all; what, you wanted by da law ‘r somethin’?”

Ben resists the urge to let his eyes widen, surprised that Anna figured it out so quickly, even if she doesn’t realize it yet. “Um…  _ no, _ I… I ain’t wanted!” He fibs, but even  _ he  _ knows he doesn’t come off as assertive as he needs to be right now. “What’s the deal wid bringin’ up the law, huh? How do I know  _ you  _ ain’t wanted!”

Anna gives him a leveled look, unimpressed. “You seriously think I ever left dis heckhole long ‘nough ta get inta any sorta trouble? Yeah right,” She almost sounds…  _ regretful. _ Ah, Benjamin now realizes what he’s gotten himself into; this kid wants to run away, but she’s probably too poor or scared or  _ both  _ to set off on her own yet. “Enough stallin’, Benjamin! I know fer a  _ fact  _ yer hidin’ somethin’, so jus’ say it, alright? No point in hidin’ nothin’ from me, ya know; ain’t  _ nobody  _ able ta keep a secret from Anna Driller!”

Ben’s tempted to laugh, but he has a feeling that would get him punched in the jaw, and he doesn’t need anymore bruises right now. “Alright, alright, settle down,” He says, beginning to finally feel at ease, as he has a feeling he has Anna figured out at this point, and social situations are infinitely easier when he feels like he knows someone inside and out. “Alright, Anna, you done caught me… I’m an outlaw, and last I heard, El Rey was callin’ me da Nomad ‘a Nowhere or some shit like dat.”

“You’re… oh my stars and garters,” Annabeth murmurs, and at first, Ben’s worried he scared her, but to his astonishment, the woman goes from unsure to ecstatic in an instant, as if she was just told she was getting a pony for Christmas. “So dat means you know magic, right? Dat yer like one ‘a dem witches up in the north dat Mama always talks ‘bout?”

“Um… I suppose so, yeah,” Ben mutters, unnerved again, this time for a very different reason.  _ Why isn’t Anna scared? _ “Look, maybe you ain’t hearin’ me right, miss,” He says, trying to give the woman a chance to scream and run away if need be. Maybe she’s just in shock? “I’m a wizard, which means I most certainly know a spell ‘r two… don’t dat  _ scare  _ ya none? Ain’t you frightened by da unknown?”

Anna shakes her head, still grinning from ear to ear. “Why would I be scared? Dis is _ amazin’! _ I know Daddy and Mama ain’t fond ‘a talkin’ ‘bout what life was like back in their hayday, back when magic was everywhere, but… magic brings life, don’t it? It comes from da heart? I can’t imagine a power like dat bein’ as bad as dey say.”

Internally, Benjamin is baffled, curious as to how Anna knows so much about magic, specifically how she knows where it comes from. “You sure do know more ‘bout magic den most folk,” He admits, figuring that the best way to find out is by asking. “So what’s da story, doll? Don’t tell me yer folks ‘re hypocrites and got a few books I could borrow.”

Anna rolls her eyes, but laughs regardless. “No, dat ain’t it… years ago, ‘fore I was even born, Mama said  _ her  _ Mama practiced a few spells, but… she got taken away for it by da evil king ‘a Nowhere,” She looks away, her heart aching for a grandmother she’s never had the opportunity to meet. “Ever since, Ma and Pa don’t like us talkin’ ‘bout magic, much less tryin’ ta figure out if we’ve got Granny’s gift. I know Ma don’t got it, so she said I shouldn’t have it either, but…” Annabeth sighs, staring at her hands, and Ben can only wonder what she’s done with them without realizing what it was. “Well, ya know how some inheritance stuff goes… skips a generation ‘r two, every once ‘n awhile, usually in da form ‘a curses.”

“Magic does dat a lot more often den we’d like it to,” Ben explains, not really thinking before he cups Anna’s hands in his, the wizard closing his eyes as he hums, trying to feel for something… seconds later, he let’s go, breathing deeply after the ordeal, his fingers tingling with energy underneath his gloves. “Dammit,” He mutters, feeling sick; it’s been a hell of a long time since he sensed this potent of magic in another person. _ “Yeah… _ yeah, you’ve got it alright,” Ben promises, looking away with no small amount of shame. “But it’s real rambunctious; untrained and random. Given some guidance, ‘n a lil’ bit ‘a encouragement, you could ‘prolly cast a few spells within a year ‘r so.”

“Really?” Anna asks, eyes practically sparkling with joy. “You really think I co-”

“-Anna!” A voice shouts, angry and loud. “Annabeth Rebecca Driller, where da  _ fuck  _ are ya, girl!? I swear ta God, if I catch you in dat pantry, yer as good as dead, missy!”

“Oh no,” Anna whispers, eyes wide with a very real fear, the sight making Ben feel even sicker, but now it’s because of empathy. “If Daddy finds out ‘bout this, he’ll kill me!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got dis,” Benjamin assures, having her move away from the door. “Um… ‘ere, lemme see yer hands please,” He requests, pulling out a spare strand of rope from one of his pockets. “This’ll really sell it… if yer Daddy asks, tell ‘im the man in the woods threatened ta kill ya if ya screamed, alright? Don’t need you takin’ any beatings fer me.”

“Be careful,” Anna begs, sounding almost frantic. “Yer da only person who ain’t given me heck fer askin’ questions… if you survive, won’t ya visit again?  _ Please? _ You seem awful nice, ‘n I don’t want ya ta go away so soon.”

Ben’s tempted to tell her no, but those eyes… he doesn’t think he’s capable of saying no to a woman like her. “I promise,” He whispers, backing off so he won’t be anymore inclined to stay here and die. “Stay low, alright? I’ll see ya again real soon, I promise.” He assures, exiting the pantry to face his foe.

Stepping outside, Benjamin doesn’t immediately see anyone, but soon enough, he hears a loud, frantic barking from the house as candles are lit inside, a short but stocky man standing in the back doorway of the cottage. Upon seeing him, Phillip Driller shouts something the outlaw can’t make out, before whistling, the sound of barking only increasing at the call… oh  _ god  _ no; Muffin and Tootsie. Not wanting to get his hide chewed by the mutts, Ben runs for dear life back to the briar, wishing more than anything that he had the energy to supernaturally quicken his pace, but after reading Anna’s potential, he’s feeling pretty drained, as he can only afford to use his magic sparingly, for fear of El Rey catching wind of it all the way from the capital. Once he breaks through the thick brush surrounding the forest, he knows he’s safe, as no living creature but him seems comfortable entering this enchanted place, finding the atmosphere too uncomfortable to bear. Even if he’s not at risk of being followed anymore, Benjamin still lingers in the area, coming to crouch in the underbrush, peeking through the leaves and thorns to see how things will go for Anna. With the wizard gone, Phillip seems to calm down, the farmer running to check on the pantry. For a moment, Ben’s scared he’s going to hurt Anna after pulling her out, but to his relief, he helps her out of her bindings and, once she’s on her feet and looking steady again, he hugs her tightly to his chest.

“Goddammit, baby girl… you had me so fuckin’ scared,” Phillip says, Ben able to see tears streaming down the man’s face, even from afar. “What were you  _ thinkin’, _ tryin’ ta fight dat monster? Baby, he coulda killed you!”

“I… I know, Daddy,” Annabeth admits, crying as well, though Ben sort of hopes she’s faking it. “I’m sorry, I jus’… I know you’ve been so scared ‘a dat stranger ever since you first saw ‘im, and I thought I could put a stop to it, but he… he’s so  _ strong,  _ Daddy! I thought he was gonna hurt me real bad!” She’s definitely faking it as she clings to her father, but it’s not like the old farmer needs to know that.

“Good lord, Annie… I swear, one ‘a dese days yer gonna end up gettin’ yerself killed bein’ so damn reckless,” Phillip chides, but he’s not angry anymore, more concerned for his daughter than anything else. “Go on ‘n get back ta bed, baby girl; I’ll clean up from ‘ere.” He gently coaxes her towards the house, wanting her inside as soon as possible.

Benjamin watches Anna follow her father’s orders, running back into the cottage. He’s fully prepared to return home, but before he can, he hears Phillip clear his throat, the farmer glaring daggers at him through the shrubbery. “I see ya, ya fuckin’ sorceror,” The farmer states, his tone angry and spiteful. “You think you can jus’ waltz onta my land, steal from my reserves, ‘n threaten my lil’ girl? You’ve got another thing comin’, wizard,” He hesitates for a moment, unsure, before glaring again towards the briar. “If you come ‘ere again, I ain’t gonna hesitate ta shoot yer ass on sight. You hear me in dere!? Best git, ‘r yer gonna be dealt with like da filthy vermin you are!” To showboat, he raises his rifle, firing a shot into the treeline.

The farmer misses by a mile, but Ben hears him loud and clear, quick to skedaddle further into the woods, back into the underbrush towards his home. He can hear Phillip laughing at him now, likely having heard the outlaw’s frantic running, but to Ben’s thankfulness, he doesn’t fire again, likely because ammunition is expensive, especially for dirt poor farmers on the edge of Nowhere. After a few minutes of running, Ben slows to a less skittish jog, then to an easygoing walk, aware that he won’t be chased, yet he still feels uneasy as he makes the trek home. He can’t really help that gunfire frightens him; ever since he was young, he’s found firearms to be quite…  _ intimidating.  _ Sure, there are spells out there that can easily stop a bullet, but when a wizard is given next to no warning beforehand? A gun is the great equalizer for a reason. Benjamin doesn’t let himself dwell on it forever, preferring to continue on his merry way, eventually finding his hideout in the midst of the forest. It ain’t much, as all he has at the moment is a poorly pitched tent and a few satchels full of his books and few reserves. Not for the first time, Ben can’t help but miss the cushy living he got to experience back in El Rey’s castle, but with him now being more of a wanted man than ever before, and with his old friend’s crown practically  _ starving  _ for some magic to eat… well, a tent ain’t much, but Ben’s done far worse; he just needs to remember his roots, and it won’t seem as bad anymore.

Nonetheless, he feels disappointed when crawling into his little tent, sad that he didn’t think to grab any food on his way out of the Driller family’s pantry, as he now must go hungry. On top of that, the wizard can feel an incoming chill from the north, causing him to shiver prematurely, not at all looking forward to the colder seasons rolling in. Almost bitterly, Benjamin bundles himself up in the few blankets and cloaks he has, gritting his teeth while closing his eyes, willing his aching, hungry, cold body to just shut up and sleep. Unfortunately for him, this is less than plausible, his mind too restless to give him much room to sleep, which simply won’t do; if he doesn’t sleep, he won’t have any energy, and if he doesn’t have any energy, he won’t be able to run and get food, and if he doesn’t get food, he won’t eat, and if he doesn’t eat… then he’ll  _ die _ . Ben is tempted to start sobbing, if only to distract himself from his shitty situation, but he’s too dehydrated to do so. Although it’s risky, as he only has a few canisters of drinking water left, the outlaw let’s himself splurge tonight by having a few chugs from one of his many flasks, savoring the flat taste of poorly purified water on his tongue. This, Ben hopes, will trick his stomach into thinking it’s full… but his mind is still fucking racing. Even if it’s silly, and perhaps too foolish for a man in his position, Ben lies down again, curling in on himself as he closes his eyes, trying to imagine that he’s in El Rey’s bedchamber, and not freezing to death on the floor of some abandoned, shitty briar on the edge of Nowhere.

_ “Silly little spellcaster… are you cold?” _ Ben can practically  _ hear  _ El Rey saying something to that effect, easily able to imagine how the king would react to seeing him like this.  _ “This is what you get for not being more careful, Benny… come here, let me keep you from freezing to death; seems you needed all those layers for something after all,” _ The wizard imagines El Rey lying down behind him, the Y’Dala man wrapping his arms around his researcher’s middle, chuckling when he feels how thin Ben has become.  _ “Goodness, what’s this? When did you get so thin, Benny? You really  _ are  _ a hopeless mess when I’m not around to take care of you,” _ El Rey chuckles again, before burrowing his nose against the back of Ben’s neck.  _ “Go on and sleep, my love; I’ll keep you safe tonight.” _

This whole conversation is fake, of course, but at this point, Benjamin will do anything for some comfort, even if it means lying to himself. “Yeah… I know you will, darlin’,” He murmurs to himself, and if he let’s a few tears fall, it’s only because he drank too much water; yeah, that’s definitely it. “G’night, Rey… I miss you.” With that, he’s soon asleep, the outlaw finding peace in the arms of a man that isn’t with him anymore, and in all honesty, probably never will be again.

* * *

The next few days are absolute  _ hell  _ for Ben.

With the Driller family now keeping a better eye on their preserves-  _ the night after meeting Annabeth, he attempted to come back to see her, but upon seeing Anna’s father and two of her brothers standing guard, the outlaw scurried back into the briar for safety-  _ Ben must now put all of his energy into growing his garden. It’s hard to convince himself to do so, when he’s always tried to save energy for any surprise attacks or accidents, but with the cold setting in, the land being rather unwilling to blossom, and his options running out, Ben sets to work. He already has everything properly seeded and tended to, having set up a sizable garden a few feet away from his tent, but the plants need time to grow; unfortunately, the wizard has very little time left before fall sets in. Willing himself not to think too hard about everything that could come for him, Ben eats the last of his preserves- a morsel of bread, alongside another large gulp of water, draining one of his last few flasks- takes up a spot of meditation in the midst of his garden, closes his eyes… and  _ focuses.  _ It’s hard, considering how difficult Benjamin finds sitting still to be, but he takes long, deep breaths to steady himself, stubborn in his decision to sit here and force his magic into the earth until his garden grows. As this is his goal, Ben tries to think only of vegetables, fruit trees, and roots, silently begging nature to help him in this trying time.

Unwillingly, the thoughts of gardening draw Ben into a memory from his childhood, recalling it in sudden and painful flashes, making him want to lay down and die, but as usual, his stubbornness outweighs most everything else, not allowing him to unfocus yet.  _ All too suddenly, Benjamin can’t be any older than six years old, small and curious as he zigzags through several walls of wheat and corn, the creatures chasing him not far behind. Although it was very rare for the old man Ben affectionately called “Pappy” to entertain his ward, the hermit would occasionally play along with his boy’s games, though there was always a magical twist he would throw in, if only to encourage his ward to practice magic while playing. In this particular memory, Ben knows that there are Critters after him, tiny little rocks and twigs with eyes, legs, and arms scampering after him, and while they may outnumber him by quite a few, Ben is still far faster than any of the magical beings. He laughs wholeheartedly as he runs, having to jump to avoid one of the rock critters touching him, causing the twig that had been chasing him to run right into the poor stone. At the sight of this, Benjamin loses it laughing, falling to the ground in hysterics, something only a child his age could pull off. With the little one distracted, Pappy comes out of seemingly nowhere, scooping up the tiny boy with little to no effort on his part. _

_ “I have ya now, ya lil’ varmint!” Pappy’s in a better mood than usual, as even HE finds all of this rather funny. “Hehehe… looks like Pappy wins dis round, junior. How many is dat now? Seven ta zero?” He chuckles, shaking his head. “Now, much as I’m sure you’d love ta keep kickin’ up dust ‘n scaring da critters, we’ve got meditatin’ ta do.” _

_ “Aww,” Ben whines, not wanting to stop playing just yet, as he rarely gets to play at all. “Can’t we play a lil’ longer, Pappy? Please?” He tries flashing the man Bambi eyes, which isn’t all that convincing, as he lacks pupils. _

_ Thankfully for Ben, his mentor isn’t in a bad mood, or he’d likely be in trouble for begging. “‘Fraid we can’t tonight, rugrat,” Pappy says in an apologetic tone, beginning to carry Ben towards one of the other fields, which only has the beginnings of sprouts sticking out of the dirt. “We’ve got us some growin’ ta do tonight.” _

_ “How’s dat work, Pappy?” Benjamin asks, seeing as his mentor has always encouraged him to ask questions, even when it isn’t always convenient; it’s probably why he’s so stubborn as an adult, seeing as he isn’t used to being told no when it comes to seeking knowledge. _

_ As expected, Pappy grins at Ben, ruffling the boy’s unruly hair in encouragement. “I’m mighty glad you asked, boy!” He says, finally arriving in the empty field. He takes a seat on some untouched dirt, sitting Ben down on his lap. “Ya see how none ‘a dese here plants ‘re bloomin’ yet? You think dey got a shot at bloomin’ by the time da trees have lost all their leaves?” _

_ Ben shakes his head. “Don’t suppose dey do, Pappy,” He admits, well aware that the seasons are going to change soon, and with the leaves almost all on the ground… “So how’re we supposed ta make ‘em grow, Pappy? Ain’t nature stubborn?” _

_ Again, this gets Pappy to chuckle. “She sure is, Ben… but ya see, she can be reasoned with, ‘least to a degree,” He then relaxes his shoulders, leaning back as he takes a meditative position. “Go on, boy; do what I do.” He orders, bouncing his knee to get Ben off. _

_ Ben hurries to sit across from his mentor, taking up the same meditative position as him, finding it easier than Pappy, as he’s still young and limber. “Like dis?” He asks, just to make sure he’s doing it right. _

_ Pappy nods his head in affirmation. “Yeah, you’ve got it, kid,” He assures, before closing his eyes, prompting Ben to do the same. “Now… jus’ relax, alright? Think ‘bout the sprouts all around you, and how you want ‘em ta grow. I know it’s hard, and you may not think yer doin’ much at first, but dat’s the trick; you gotta be jus’ as stubborn as her ta make ‘er listen.” _

_ “Stubborn; got it.” Benjamin agrees, taking several long, deep breaths to steady himself, until he’s breathing in sync with his mentor, hardly even aware he’s doing it. _

_ Although the sun is still bearing down on him from overhead, Ben wills himself not to move or fidget, wanting nothing more than for this to work and to impress his dear teacher. Ever since he learned to walk and talk, Pappy has been training Ben as well as he can to use magic, as the man has told him many times that he’s “gifted”, so much so that the old hermit decided to take him in and raise him himself, despite having once sworn off training anymore magic users. It’s not like Pappy has said as much, but Ben knows that he poses at least somewhat as a burden on the old man’s life, as he’s sometimes too childish and spry for Pappy to keep up with him, leading the hermit to overexert himself on a daily basis. It kills Benjamin inside to see his mentor so exhausted all the time, so he’s made it his mission to learn magic as fast as he physically can, if only so he can stop being so difficult to take care of. So far, Ben’s mastered reading books rather well, having read just about everything his mentor has to offer- so much so that Pappy’s surprised him with more books on Ben’s birthdays in the past, aware that the kid loves reading more than anything else- but as far as actual spellcasting… the problem isn’t in him not being capable of it, obviously, but it’s almost like he’s TOO capable, as all too often, Ben has tried making something very small, only to make something very big. For example… _

_ “Benny? Hey, you listenin’?” Pappy asks, trying to shake Ben out of his stupor. “Come on, Ben, snap outta it! Benny? …BENJAMIN! _ ”

_ Ben shoots awake at that, the brilliant yellow that had once been surrounding his body finally ceasing. The boy’s eyes are wide as he returns to himself, still frazzled by the magical experience. “Wha… Pappy?” He asks, confused. “Pappy, what happened? Did it work?” _

_ “Did it work? Did it WORK?” Pappy repeats, sounding close to laughing himself into an early grave. “Boy, you jus’ ‘bout grew us a year’s worth ‘a food!” _

_ “I did?” Benjamin asks, giving the area around him a skeptical look. To his surprise, there are now hundreds upon hundreds of impossibly tall plants and trees, which are over-encumbered with so many fruits and vegetables that they’re all tilting to make up for the newfound weight. _

_ Pappy begins to laugh like some kind of maniac, scooping Ben up and hugging the tiny child to his chest. “Yessiree, Benny! Goddamn, I KNEW you was a gifted sonofabitch!” _

_ Ben laughs along with the old man, enjoying this rare moment of affection from his mentor. It’s not like Pappy is abusive or anything- at least, not in any way that Ben would consider abusive- but the man is distant, and although he hasn’t said this is the cause, Ben believes his father’s hesitation to love him is caused by some past heartache. In any case, the fruits and vegetables from Ben’s magic are more than enough to last them the winter, that one being one of the best winters that the boy remembers; looking back on that time as an adult, Benjamin is filled with nostalgia, remembering those years of his life to be less terrifying and full of tragedy. Come a few more years- when Ben was only thirteen, and becoming more argumentative, though he’d soon regret it- the young prodigy would one day awake to find his dear Pappy dead in his sleep, his face emotionless and without a reason for his death. This would, of course, set Ben on his life’s greatest journey, the teenager embarking on an adventure that would be full of death, romance, and the breaking of many, many laws. And no matter how many days, months, and years have passed since Pappy’s death, Ben’s heart still aches for that old man’s company, the outlaw never once not wondering what life would have been like had his mentor not died while he was still so young, robbing him of the guidance he oh so desperately needed back then. _

When Benjamin returns to the present, jolting out of his meditative state with a louder shout than he’d like, there are tears cascading down his face, dripping down to soak into his poncho. The man shakes his head, trying to wrest away the trail of memories his brain attempted to take him down. Luckily for him, this allows Ben to see the fruits of his labor, which is a literal term, as although these plants aren’t as overdone as the ones he grew as a child, the wizard is still greeted by the sight of a few dozen fruit trees, and a few long rows of vegetables that have sprung from the dirt. As the adrenaline wears off, Ben feels woozy, tuckered out by the great amount of magic he just used; although he didn’t dwell on the memory long enough to remember it, he knows he passed out within a few minutes of Pappy congratulating him, and he didn’t wake up for three days straight due to how young he was and how much magic he unintentionally used. Even if the toll is not as significant this time around, Benjamin still gives a mighty yawn, unable to keep from lying down in the midst of his beautiful garden, his fatigue catching up with him. Absentmindedly, he notices an apple lying by his head, which he plucks up immediately, allowing himself to take a bite and find out how well he did on it’s creation.

Well, it’s certainly not bad. Ben’s eaten better though, particularly in the capital, where the apples were always so crisp and juicy. That thought alone makes the wizard feel ill with mourning, and for a moment he’s afraid he’ll lose his lunch, but miraculously, he manages to hold it in, swallowing down the mouthful of apple to ward off the feeling. Sitting up, Ben keeps eating his apple, giving his garden another proud once-over. “It ain’t perfect… but it’ll keep me kickin’,” Benjamin tells himself, wanting that to be enough to put his mind at ease… but as usual, his mind is too paranoid to let the happiness last. “Suppose it won’t be enough fer da whole winter, though… guess I’m givin’ the Driller’s another visit after all.”

In all honesty, he’s not looking forward to it. Don’t get him wrong; he really wants to see Annabeth again, and he wants to help her reach her full potential, but the rest of her family… while he isn’t about to give up on  _ all  _ of the kids and their lovely mother, he doubts Phillip Driller will ever see him as anything but a nuisance. Ben gives a slight shiver, afraid of how another encounter with the father in particular would go, as he’s now convinced that the evil wizard of the briar is after one of his daughters. Well, he isn’t  _ entirely  _ wrong… wait, _ no!  _ No,  _ bad  _ Benjamin; you can’t think of people that way again! After the indirect- or perhaps unwilling is the better term, seeing how upsetting the confrontation was for all involved- heartbreak that El Rey put him through, Ben isn’t sure he could ever move on to loving someone else. Although genuine love is rare and hard for him to come by, he has indeed _ “rolled in the hay”  _ with a scant few people in his travels, but El Rey… well, for Benjamin, he’d been different, but in a good way. Anna, given enough time, could also end up being different in a good way, but… if she ended up hating him someday- or even worse, leaving him- Ben doubts he’d ever recover… his heart wouldn’t be able to take another heartbreak like that.

Shaking his head, Ben scolds himself, trying to focus on the present. No matter his feelings, he’ll need to get more food from the Driller family soon, which means performing another raid… he can only hope this one will be his last.

* * *

Stepping quietly through the underbrush, Ben approaches the Driller family’s property with great caution, his eyes scanning the farm carefully as he emerges from the foliage, checking the security for tonight. To his relief, Mr. Driller has finally given up on his paranoid desire to have him or any of his children keep watch, as the outlaw can see that none of the farmers are outside, the lot of them all tucked away inside their house, fast asleep. Benjamin can’t help but smirk, not sure whether or not Mr. Driller has really given up on hunting him yet, or whether one of the man’s kids simply got lazy and forgot to take their post for the night; either way, it means Ben can fulfill his promise to Anna, and hopefully repay her for not letting him get killed two weeks ago. Still, the wizard is outrageously quiet as he scampers onto the property, his paranoia making him afraid to step on a hidden trap, but again, it seems luck is on his side tonight, as no such things are around to stop him. Ben gradually begins to relax as he continues towards the large house the family resides in, ignoring the pantry completely, as he has no intention of stealing food until after seeing Anna. Using his hat to mask his face even more than it already does, Ben sneaks around the house on all sides, peeking through windows to see where his friend is sleeping. To his thankfulness, Annabeth doesn’t have to share her room with too many kids, only sharing it with what look to be two other sisters close in age to her.

Careful not to make too much noise, Benjamin rubs his palms together, lacing his fingertips with magic as he unlocks the window, soundlessly pushing it up until the window is only about halfway open, for fear of the autumn wind waking one of the other girls. Trying hard not to imagine the window as a guillotine, Ben sticks his head inside, turning to face Anna, who thankfully has her own bed, whereas her sisters share a bunk bed. “Psst!” Ben whispers, trying to draw Anna’s attention, though he still worries about the other girls waking up. “Anna…  _ Annabeth,”  _ He says, lowering his voice as much as physically possible. “Come on, darlin’, don’t leave me waitin’… wake up!”

Anna finally begins to stir, the redhead rubbing at her eyes as she comes to, quick to fix Ben with a look of astonishment. “Benjamin?” She asks, having to lower her voice as well. “Ben, what’re you  _ doin’  _ ‘ere? How the heck did ya get past Riley?”

“Who’s Riley?” Ben asks in turn, tilting his head even further, causing his hat to fall off and land on the floor. He bites back a curse, scowling at his hat. “Goddammit.” He growls, trying to reach for it, but it’s too far out of his reach.

“Lemme get it fer ya, buddy,” Annabeth offers, crawling out of her bed, though she’s careful not to wake her sisters up in the process. “Quit dat squirmin’, Ben; yer gonna wake the twins up!”

“Dey’re twins? Yer family’s got luck in dere blood,” Ben states, having always believed that twins were inherently lucky and magically inclined individuals; come to think of it, he’s never met a pair of twins that didn’t at least have the  _ potential  _ to learn magic. “‘N don’t go fussin’ over my hat, Ann; I’ve got it.” He assures, squeezing one of his hands through the opening he’s made.

With his hand glowing a dull yellow, Benjamin focuses on picking the hat up, causing it to levitate into the air, giving him the chance to snatch it. Upon seeing this, Anna grins, eyes alight with curiosity.  _ “Wow… _ hell of a spell,” She says, fascinated by Ben’s magical abilities. “How’d ya do dat, Ben? Is dat kinda magic easy, ‘r hard? Is it simple, ‘r real complicated? Can ya-”

“-Easy, darlin’,  _ easy…  _ goddamn, you  _ really  _ wanna have this conversation right fuckin’ now? Right in front ‘a yer sisters?” Ben is tempted to cackle at the thought, but he holds back, not wanting to cause too big of a ruckus. After a pause, he sighs, avoiding eye contact. “Um… I came ta apologize fer da other night, Miss Anna,” He explains, pulling out a fresh apple from where he’d had it hidden in his poncho. “I know it ain’t much, but I thought I’d at least offer ya dis; just harvested it dis mornin’.”

“Really?” Annabeth asks, taking the apple from Ben and looking it over rather suspiciously, shocked by it’s very existence. “Is this… an  _ apple?”  _ She asks, clearly confused. “Ta tell ya da truth, I ain’t ever had one ‘a dese before; Pa planted a tree for ‘em here ‘bout a decade ago, but it wilted ‘n died pretty fast, on account of, well,  _ ya know.”  _ She gestures past Ben at the wasteland outside, where hardly any trees are even standing anymore.

Ben gives Anna a somewhat horrified stare, shocked by the admission. “You ain’t  _ ever  _ had an apple before? Not  _ once?”  _ He questions, fairly certain he’s slipped into a hellscape posing as another dimension. “You ain’t  _ ever  _ had no apple pie, no caramel apples, no apple fritters, no  _ nothin’!?”  _ He has to bite his tongue to keep from shouting, but come on, this is  _ heresy! _

Anna shakes her head, not looking any happier about it than Ben. “Nope, not once,” She says, giving her friend a half-hearted shrug. “Things like dat ‘re luxuries out ‘ere in da wastes… hell, I consider myself lucky I get ta eat pears when dey’re in season.”

Benjamin is still overcome with agony, giving Anna the saddest frown he can muster, even though his scarf is still covering his mouth. “Dat right dere is the saddest thing I ever done heard, Miss Anna,” He deadpans, before giving the twin girls in the room an uneasy look, remembering that he’s still at risk of waking them; though, at this point, he’s fairly certain they could sleep through an  _ earthquake  _ without rousing. “Look, Ann… I’m sorry, but-” He tries to say what he needs to, but he gets interrupted by the woman in question.

“-We oughta git outside, huh,” Anna points out, not even recognizing the sadness in Ben’s tone. “I was jus’ thinkin’ the same thing… go on ‘n scoot over den, boy.” She steps over to the window, making sure to pull on some jeans to wear underneath her nightshirt, as well as a pair of old shoes that are kept as makeshift slippers.

“Anna, _ wait,”  _ Benjamin orders, waiting until Anna has stopped getting ready to let out a long, weathered sigh. “Anna, I… look, it ain’t good fer ya ta be talkin’ ta me; ya know dat, right? It ain’t safe… yer pappy don’t care fer my kind, and I don’t want you gettin’ beat ‘cus ‘a me.”

Anna fixes Ben with an unimpressed look. “What’re you tryin’ ta  _ say, _ Ben? You sayin’ yer done bein’ my friend? We  _ jus’  _ met!” She glares at him, annoyed by this change of plans. However, she quickly chills out, understanding why Ben is doing this. “Ben, I know yer scared ‘a my Daddy, but… I  _ really  _ don’t want ya ta go. Can’t we jus’ keep dis a secret? No one’s gotta know ‘bout dis but us.”

_ “Someone’ll _ find out, no matter  _ how  _ careful we are,” Ben warns, taking this far more seriously than Annabeth, but only because he knows there’s more to fear than some old farmer with a rifle. “I don’t wanna stop bein’ yer buddy either, but some things… they jus’ don’t work out, no matter whatcha do ta make it okay,” He pulls out of the window, willing himself to not show too much emotion. “This is goodbye, Annabeth… it was real nice meetin’ ya. Hopefully someday, if yer folks pass ‘n yer left in charge ‘a dis place, we can be friends again, but right now… well, it ain’t smart. Goodbye, Annie.” He simply walks away afterwards, not giving Anna time to try and change his mind, or even say goodbye in return.

For a few minutes, Benjamin feels proud of himself for doing the right thing- after all, he knows that anyone who tries to be around him is in danger of getting assassinated by El Rey, especially if they’re someone that has magical potential like Anna- however, the further he walks away from the farm and the closer he gets to the briar- he doesn’t even have the heart to steal food anymore- the more his heart is flooded with unwelcome grief, the outlaw not wanting to lose his first friend he’s had in decades. Before coming to the briar, Ben tried surviving in other towns and deserted locations, but something always fucked it all up, either because Ben accidentally used magic in public, or because a bounty hunter happened upon him. In any case, Ben’s been running for so long now, he’s become fatigued both physically and emotionally, hating his unwillingly nomadic lifestyle so much, which is why he needs this whole briar thing to work out, or else he doubts he’ll be able to find another place to live again. For this reason, Benjamin knows he needs to stay as far away from people as possible, because with more exposure comes more gossip, and with more gossip comes bounty hunters, and with bounty hunters… it’ll all be over. So, as much as Ben would  _ love  _ to stay Annabeth’s friend and possibly even teach her how to use the magical gift in her bones, he knows it’s too dangerous, so he’ll do the right thing and walk away from this… if only the right thing didn’t hurt so bad!

However, just as Ben is nearing the edge of the farm for what he hopes to be the last time, he hears a low, angry growl from behind him. Oh  _ no…  _ slowly, he turns around, having to bite his lip to keep from yelping with fear. _ “Oh… _ hello, Muffin. Hello, Tootsie,” Ben greets, eyeing the two guard dogs cautiously. “A lil’ far from home, ain’t ya? Go on, girls; shoo shoo.” He tries waving them off, praying to some higher power that this will somehow work.

Unfortunately, Muffin and Tootsie are less than willing to let him go, the dogs growling even louder as they close in on the wizard. “N-Now come on, girls… let’s be  _ reasonable,” _ Ben urges, backing off as the dogs approach him, well-aware of how vicious the canines are. “Dere ain’t no need ta go barkin’ ‘r chasin’ me, ya know… what you want?  _ Treats?  _ I can get treats!” He digs through his pockets, trying to find something worthwhile. He pulls out a handful of small animal bones from one pocket, pasting on a fake grin as he tosses them onto the ground for the two dogs. “You girls like bones? Dere, have as  _ many  _ as you’d like!” Ben offers, still shaking a bit.

Muffin and Tootsie move the bones around with their paws, inspecting the offer. For a second, Benjamin thinks they’ll take it, but to his dismay, they soon resume their growling, unimpressed with the offering. “Oh, you don’t like dat? Well den, how ‘bout…” Ben makes a show out of shoving his hands into his pockets again, this time grabbing a packet of sand. “Take  _ this, _ ya fuckin’ mutts!” He shouts, tossing the sand into the canine’s eyes.

This gives Ben time to book it, the dogs yelping as their eyes are momentarily damaged, allowing the outlaw to try and make his escape. Unfortunately for him, the briar is still too far away for him to reach it before his foes recover, so he rushes for a nearby, mostly dead tree, a few of the branches still looking sturdy enough to be climbed on. Ben is in a complete and utter  _ frenzy  _ as he scales the small tree, Muffin and Tootsie quickly running after him again, beginning to bark this time. Although this situation is obviously not the most dire one Ben has ever been in, he’s still frightened, not quite sure how he’ll get out of this one, as for whatever reason, animals have almost  _ always  _ despised him, often chasing him down in an attempt to bite or even kill him. Ben isn’t sure why the hell this is the case, as he’s never been cruel to animals on purpose, or even on accident; as a child, Pappy laughed at these instances a few times, the old hermit deciding that Benjamin’s scent probably made animals upset, likely because of his unknown race. In any case, the outlaw knows he has no chance of soothing the two canines currently trying to jump up and catch him by his boots, so he tries looking around instead, searching for something to defend himself with. It’s while he’s doing this that, out of seemingly nowhere, Annabeth comes running towards him, waving a broom at the dogs.

“Muffin! Tootsie! You leave ‘im _ alone, _ ya hear!?” Anna orders, shouting to scare the dogs off.

“Ann?” Ben asks, surprised that the farmer has come to his aid. “What’re you doin’ ‘ere?”

“Savin’  _ you, _ apparently,” Anna states, coming to cross her arms in disappointment, tapping her foot at the dogs for chasing her companion. “Dat’s enough outta you two fer tonight; go on ‘n git.” She points at the house, practically  _ daring  _ the dogs to keep harassing her friend.

Muffin and Tootsie whimper rather pathetically, ducking their heads before trudging back to the house. Once they’re gone, Ben leaps down from the tree, fixing Anna with an appreciative smile. “Gee, thanks fer savin’ me, A-” He’s cut off by Anna smacking him upside the head.

“-What were you  _ thinkin’, _ walkin’ away after givin’ me dat  _ bullcrap  _ excuse!?” Annabeth asks, not anymore happy with Ben than she was with the dogs. “I swear, you sound like Jackson after his friend got ‘im inta dat cowboy nonsense, walkin’ inta da sunset like you some kinda nomad!”

“I kinda  _ am  _ a nomad, sweetheart,” Ben admits, tone sheepish as he rubs at the spot where Anna smacked him. “Suppose I owe ya now, don’t I?”

“You don’t owe me nothin’, Ben… but I certainly wouldn’t mind another apple,” Anna says, giggling as she holds up the remains of the apple Ben gave her earlier, nothing but the core left over. “What can I say? You weren’t kiddin’ when ya said dey was good,” She then softens, giving Ben a sympathetic smile. “I know yer a paranoid boy, Ben, and dat somethin’ bad musta happened to ya out dere, but you don’t gotta worry ‘bout my Daddy, alright? I know he’s a mean sonofagun sometimes, but he’s a good man, I promise.”

Benjamin averts his eyes, willing himself to not give away what he’s  _ really  _ afraid of. “Well… suppose bein’ friends wouldn’t be, um,  _ terrible,  _ now would it?”

“Don’t hurt yerself, honey,” Anna teases, amused by how Ben can go from cocky to timid in the span of only a few seconds. She suddenly looks past the wizard, eyeing the briar carefully. “Ya know… I ain’t ever been in dat briar ‘fore. Laura and Sammy went in once, but Pa jus’ ‘bout had their hides afterwards, shoutin’ dat the briar’s cursed ‘re somethin’ like dat… you live dere, right? In da briar? Don’t know where else you’d hide, wizard.”

Again, Ben is hesitant. “I…  _ yes,  _ I suppose I do,” He confesses, unable to keep lying to Anna, at least, not without good reason. “Seein’ as I seem ta owe ya an apple, I guess I oughta bring ya on over, if only ta repay my debt to ya.”

“I told ya dat ya don’t owe me  _ nothin’…  _ but alright!” Annabeth is obviously eager to take Ben up on his offer, though she’s careful not to be too forceful, lest she come off as greedy or imposing. “Nobody should notice I’m gone…  _ hopefully. _ ” She appears uncertain now, glancing cautiously back at the house.

“Don’t worry, sugar; I  _ always  _ git my girls back ‘fore sunrise,” Ben says, giving a sly smirk as he tries to retake his position as a romantic outlaw in Anna’s eyes, despite having just been saved from getting bitten by two dogs. “We’ll git ya back through dat dere window ‘fore yer pappy even knows you was gone.”

“Yer a pig,” Anna deadpans, playfully shoving at Ben. “But I suppose you ain’t da  _ worst  _ guy I ever did meet… dat position’s reserved fer Cameron in Bliss Hill.”

_ “Oh?  _ What Cameron do ta be da worst?” Benjamin asks, curious of this stranger, internally praying that he doesn’t come off as possessive by asking.

“Stay my friend ‘n you might jus’ find out.” Anna says, a mischievous grin on her face.

Ben offers a huff at that, rolling his eyes. “You set me up fer dat, didn’t ya?”

“Perhaps,” Annabeth gives away no secrets, fine with playing games with an outlaw she’s hardly even known for a few weeks. “Suppose you’ll have ta find out, now won’t ya?”

Ben simply smiles, giving a short nod. “Suppose I will,” He agrees, leading Anna towards the briar he calls home. “Stay close, alright? Don’t need ya gettin’ lost in dere.” He says, and together, the duo descend into the dense briar, leaving the rest of the Driller family to sleep peacefully through the night, unaware that one of their own has followed the Nomad of Nowhere into the cursed briar nearby.

* * *

“Whelp… ‘ere it is,” Benjamin says, grinning at Anna while gesturing excitedly at his little campsite. “Home sweet home!” He adds, wiggling his hands in an obvious  _ ‘tada’  _ pose.

Annabeth pulls a face, looking the campsite over. “It looks…  _ nice,”  _ She offers, unable to hold back from wincing when she sees the state of Ben’s property, particularly the complete chaos of it all. “Very, um,  _ cozy, _ I suppose.”

Ben huffs, squinting his eyes at the farmer. “Oh, don’t gimme dat shit; it ain’t  _ dat  _ bad!” He insists, glancing around his campsite as well.

In all honesty, even  _ he  _ can see why Anna is so hesitant to like the place, as it certainly doesn’t compare to Ben’s last home. Although El Rey had chided his head researcher when he’d seen the state of his workplace during his frequent check-ins to the castle’s library, Ben hadn’t been able to grasp how anything was wrong with his quarters; the shelves had all been stocked to their limits, with even  _ more  _ books stacked on the floor in front of them, there had been a bedroll laid out underneath his desk, and every surface had been covered with maps and pages torn from the remnants of forgotten and lost books. No one else could ever appreciate such a library like Benjamin could, and even if he’s without the many books he once cultivated in his old place, he still admires the state of his campsite. Since it hasn’t rained in god knows how long, Ben has left several large stacks of books just lying outside, as he doubts any living creature would be dumb enough to try chewing on the pages or anything like that. Inside the tent, there are a few more books that Ben has in dangerously tilting stacks, as well as numerous scrolls that have been haphazardly tied. Outside, the rest of the campsite is in a general state of disrepair, with several bags and personal items strung as far as the eye can see, Ben’s camp looking more like the aftermath of a tornado than the hideout of an infamous outlaw.

Annabeth continues to be unimpressed, daring to cross her arms and scoff at Ben. “You kiddin’ me, Ben? I swear, this place looks like a squad ‘a bandits ransacked it ‘fore taking a piss on yer stuff!” She says, not even trying to hide her concern. “How da hell you gonna find anythin’ in dis mess? Yer ma’s prolly rollin’ in her grave as we speak.”

“I don’t got no ma,” Ben admits, rolling his eyes at Anna’s dramatics. “Maybe you ain’t able ta make no sense ‘a it, but so long as I know where most everythin’ is, I ain’t see no need in makin’ it look tidy. ‘Sides, means any bandits dumb ‘nough ta trespass won’t find my shit as quick.”

“Dat don’t excuse this nonsense,” Anna deadpans, pointing at the pile of clothes Ben has left in a large pile behind his tent. “Are dese even  _ clean?” _

“They’re _ fine,” _ Benjamin growls, quickly becoming fed up with Anna’s pestering. “What’a you care anyways? Not like you live ‘ere.”

“I only  _ care  _ ‘cus yer endangerin’ yerself livin’ like dis,” Anna explains, beginning to pace around the campsite, examining everything much more carefully. “Look at dis; you ain’t got no protection out ‘ere! What you gonna do if a pack ‘a bandits actually  _ do  _ come through ‘ere? Everything’s out ‘n about; yer gonna trip on yer freakin’  _ books  _ tryin’ ta take cover,” She actually goes to one of the book piles, picking up one of them to flip through it, reading just enough to know what it’s subject is. “Dis a spell book? Sure looks like one. Why you leavin’ dis out ta get soaked, boy? Books like this ain’t easy ta come by.”

Ben scoffs, snatching the book from Anna. “I  _ know  _ dat!” He snaps, glaring viciously at the farmer. “Where else am I supposed ta put dis shit, huh? In a fuckin’  _ hole? _ If you ain’t noticed, it ain’t like I got a house ta live in no more.”

Annabeth shrugs, before her eyes seem to light up with an idea. “Ya know… dis ‘ere briar has some good wood,” She says, observing the surrounding trees with the same level of excitement as a kid in a candy store. “And we’ve got at least five more months ‘fore winter hits, and I seriously doubt yer tent’s gonna fair real well in dat sorta weather,” She smiles a little wider, aiming the grin directly at the outlaw. “What’s stoppin’ ya from buildin’ a house out ‘ere, Ben? The wood is good, dere’s time, you’ve got a  _ heck  _ of a nice garden… what’s scarin’ ya?”

Ben jolts a little at that, frazzled by the question as well as the idea. Truth be told, he’s never stuck around in one place all that long, not since El Rey sent him running into nowhere with a bounty on his head. For far longer than Anna’s been alive, Benjamin has been on the run from El Rey and the bounty hunters that want to capture him, leading to the wizard living almost like the nomad he’s been nicknamed to be, never setting roots and rarely sticking around for longer than a few months. Come to think of it, Ben actually hasn’t run into anyone worth chatting with other than the Drillers in, say…  _ eighty  _ years now? Is  _ that  _ how long it’s been? For most of that time, Ben was staying in a few abandoned castles on the very edge of the iron border, but after a number of farming families started to move in nearby, he thought better of it and took off, running to hide in the wilderness next, though he was chased out of a number of forests before ending up here. Ben wandered uselessly for ages, until finally, he found this little briar, and with everyone else being too afraid to live in the dying thorns and vines, he took cover here, planting a tent in the midst of it all and allowing the forest to grow around him. It’s only been a few weeks since Benjamin got here, and already the presence of a magic user has regrown much of the dead plants, and they'll probably grow even more if he stays here. Secretly, Ben actually  _ likes  _ the idea of staying in one place, as he’s never much cared to be so mobile, but… well, he has no idea how to change his ways, especially when he’s spent so long on the run.

“Um… truth be told, I ain’t, uh,” Ben searches his brain for a suitable excuse, pulling one out of his ass to keep Anna from finding out the truth. “I ain’t ever built a house.” He says, which actually isn’t a total lie, but he’s certainly built furniture before.

Annabeth isn’t the least bit deterred by this news, continuing to grin hopefully at the wizard. “So? Don’t mean ya can’t learn, right? You ever read any books on it? You seem like you’d rather read ‘bout dat kinda stuff den do it.”

Ben, again, is shocked by Anna’s bluntness. “Well uh, yeah, sure I has,” He admits, scratching the back of his head out of nervousness. “What’s dat got ta do wid it? Ain’t mean I can jus’ build a fuckin’ house outta nothin’!”

“Well, I’ve raised plenty ‘a barns before,” Anna explains, that hopefulness refusing to wane, which only confuses Benjamin further. “‘N even though it was years ago, I helped Ma ‘n Pa build the second floor ‘a our house, so dis ain’t entirely new ta me. With yer knowledge ‘n my experience, I bet we could build a house ‘fore the end ‘a December! Whatta ya say, Benjamin? You interested?” She stops dancing around it, offering her assistance to Ben without anymore sugar coating.

Ben is baffled to say the least, curious as to why Anna would offer such assistance to him. Is she only doing this so he’ll stick around? So he’ll give her more apples? In any case, Anna probably has some ulterior motive, and Ben has every intention of figuring out what it is. For now, he needs to figure out if he even  _ wants  _ to do something this drastic. Once a bounty hunter finds him, it’s all over, and Benjamin will be forced to run again, so why should he bother with building a whole damn house? Besides, there’s no  _ way  _ he could pull something like that off; what does he look like, a fucking carpenter!? However, when he glances again at Anna… for whatever reason, she makes him feel at ease, like the two of them could actually pull this off, so long as they work together. Sure, Annabeth’s a bossy and stubborn sonofabitch, and they’re bound to argue during the ordeal, but it’s not like Ben isn’t the exact same way, and hell, she’s only hard on him because she sees that he isn’t really a bad guy, and knows that he’s only acting gruff because he hasn’t been around anyone in lord knows how long. Given enough communication and compromise, Ben sees no reason why he and Anna wouldn’t be able to build this house… but again, he’s hesitant. What if he fucks it up? What if Anna’s only doing this so she and her family can come over and kill him afterwards, giving them another place to live? Well, that would be one hell of a long con, not to mention unlikely to work. So if she isn’t doing this to hurt or trick him, what’s her objective here?

“Okay, I don’t get it,” Benjamin finally admits, giving his friend an unsteady once-over, trying to figure out Anna’s motives. “What’re you tryin’ ta do ‘ere, Ann? What’s yer plan? You can’t seriously be offerin’ ta build me a house, right?”

“Well, I sure as heck ain’t doin’  _ all  _ the work, bookworm,” Anna deadpans, laughing a little at the look on Ben’s face when she calls him by the nickname. “Come on, Ben, not everybody’s out ta get ya; what kinda friend would I be if I left ya out ‘ere all winter ta freeze?”

“Dat can’t be  _ all  _ ya want from me,” Ben says, still not wavering in his paranoia. “What you want, huh? Money? More apples? Somethin’…  _ else?” _ Almost nervously, he glances at his tent, wondering if what Anna’s after is more sexual than he expected.

Annabeth scoffs outright, but softens quickly, recognizing that Ben isn’t acting like this to be mean; he’s just far too accustomed to being taken advantage of. “I ain’t in this ta hurt ya, Ben… how ‘bout dis? If I ask fer somethin’, will ya let me help ya out? Please, Ben, I don’t want ya dyin’ in the cold.”

Ben hesitates, still uncertain, before reluctantly nodding. “…Sure,” He says, eyeing the farmer carefully. “What’ll it be den, Miss Anna? Anything I listed, ‘r somethin’ else? I’ve plenty ‘a books, but I won’t give jus’ anythin’ away.” He explains, crossing his arms as he awaits Anna’s request.

Anna thinks about it for a few minutes, before another knowing smirk forms on her face. “How ‘bout… a  _ favor,” _ She offers, and while she  _ is  _ smirking, it’s not one of pure deviousness like Ben would expect it to be. “I’ll come up wid it later, alright? You can give it ta me after we’re done buildin’ yer new house.”

Benjamin falters, expression quizzical. “The hell you mean you want a favor!? Can’t ya jus’ come up wid somethin’ so we can be done wid it? Can’t say I much like bein’ tied down.”

“Well, I don’t know what I want yet, seein’ as I didn’t get much time ta think ‘bout it,” Anna explains, though her eyes tell a different story, something about her mannerisms suggesting she knows  _ exactly  _ what she wants from him. “Don’t you worry none, Ben; I ain’t ‘bout ta make ya do nothin’ terrible ‘r evil… it’ll be a surprise, but hopefully not a bad one.”

Again, Ben huffs impatiently. “I gots da feelin’ you know  _ exactly  _ what ya fuckin’ want,” He says, but nonetheless, he holds out his hand to Anna. “But, seein’ as I ain’t exactly keen on runnin’ anytime soon, ‘n winter’s gonna be ‘ere sooner den I’d like… fuck it, I guess.”

Anna laughs, daring to ruffle Ben’s hat with one hand, the other busy shaking the wizard’s hand. “Aw, please don’t go frettin’ none, Benny… I ain’t ever gonna do nothin’ ta hurt ya, got it? We’re  _ friends, _ which means we help each other out… even if ya  _ are  _ a bit of a dunderhead.”

_ “Don’t be scared, Benny,” El Rey practically begs, giving his researcher such a pleading look. “I won’t ever do anything to hurt you, understand? We’re friends, and that means I want to help you… no matter how difficult you are to befriend.” _

Benjamin shakes his head, trying to dismiss his memories of El Rey, but it’s difficult when he’s being faced with someone so similar to the king, even if they’re still very different people. Back when they first met, Ben came to El Rey in shambles, barely twenty and already carrying a heavy bounty on his head. The king’s previous researcher at the time had suggested hanging the infamously out of control and dangerous wizard, but El Rey hadn’t agreed, citing that he wanted to offer Ben another option; in exchange for his services, not  _ only  _ would the outlaw be permitted to live, but he would have all of his needs met, a place to call home, and as many books as he could read. To this day, Benjamin still has no idea  _ why  _ exactly El Rey chose to spare him of all magic users that had been presented to him. Was he attracted to Ben as early as then? Was it out of pity, or from seeing his full potential at a glance? The crown hadn’t been as nasty back then- though it had already begun to eat, here and there- so it probably wasn’t due to the crown’s influence. Ben doubts he’ll ever truly know what caused El Rey to rescue him, but when faced with Annabeth, who’s probably better off selling his location to a bounty hunter or simply leaving him to rot than assisting him, Ben is reminded of the king more than anyone else, his heart in uncomfortable knots at the comparison. It’s dangerous, not to mention stupid, to be getting close to people when on the run… but to hell with it, it’s not like Anna’s planning on giving up on him anytime soon, and he wouldn’t mind having a friend again.

Forcing those thoughts away, Ben focuses on the here and now. “Well, if yer really plannin’ on helpin’ me out, looks like we’re gonna have ta find a way fer you ta visit durin’ the day, or else yer not gonna get enough sleep ta survive, darlin’.” He points out, giving the woman a humorous smirk to hide how anxious his thoughts have left him.

Anna smirks, a newfound mischievousness in her shamrock green eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a way ta make it work,” She assures, giving Ben a quick hug before grabbing her bag off the ground from where she left it. “I’ll be back soon, alright? Don’t go runnin’ on me, or I ain’t gonna forgive ya.” She threatens, though Ben doubts she means it, as there’s no venom in her tone.

“Travel safe,” Benjamin urges, waving the farmer off, but after a second, he pauses, remembering something. “Oh, wait, you forgot somethin’!” He warns, running past Anna to one of his apple trees. He jumps onto a low-hanging tree’s branch, snatching a few apples from between the leaves. He wraps up three of them in a clean handkerchief, before offering the bundle to his friend. “Here; I promised ya some apples, didn’t I?”

“Thank ya, Benny,” Anna says, accepting the apples with a wide, genuine smile. “Like I told ya, I’ll be back real quick, okay? Be safe.” She pockets the bundle, before heading back towards her family’s farm, her chin raised with self assurance.  
  
Ben watches her leave, still dreadfully uncertain of what’s to come… but with Annabeth around, he doesn’t feel as hopeless as he once did. He can’t help but chuckle under his breath, as this whole  _ “isolation”  _ thing might not be as awful as he thought it would be.


	2. You were what I wanted, I gave what I gave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally planned on waiting WAY longer to post this chapter, since I haven’t fully written the next one yet, but with this quarantine giving everyone next to nothing to do… fuck it, I may as well post another chapter while I work away on the next few. Btw, I’m now cutting my paragraphs in half, as they looked WAY too big and blocky before, so I apologize for the sudden change!

_ “Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway.” _

_ Edgar Allen Poe _

Benjamin of Nowhere groans loudly under his breath, eyes squinting open as he comes to, his whole body aching with unwelcome pain and discomfort, but luckily for him, he’s young enough that he knows the feeling is temporary at best. Slowly, the spellcaster sits up on his elbows, horribly disoriented as he tries to get a feel for what’s happening, but as he starts to put the pieces together, he has a feeling that something is very,  _ very  _ wrong here. By some stroke of bad luck, Ben has found himself in what looks to be a dungeon or prison cell, the walls he’s surrounded by built out of cobblestone and cement, with large, menacing iron bars acting as a fourth wall to his cell, the outlaw able to see a guard fast asleep outside, the guard’s chair leaning backwards against Ben’s cage.

The spellcaster smirks with mischievous intent, delighted to see such an easy way out of this mess so early into his imprisonment; someone must’ve nabbed him while he was asleep- or worse, he could’ve been drugged/knocked out- but no matter how he got here, he’s planning on teaching his kidnappers a lesson. Silently, Benjamin climbs off of the metal cot he woke up on, trying to tiptoe towards the slumbering guard, but the minute his feet hit the ground, the wizard is hit with a sudden, unnatural spike of horrible pain in his chest. Clutching his undershirt-  _ what happened to all his other shirts!?- _ he collapses onto the floor, the feeling intensifying when the rest of his body touches the concrete.

This wakes the guardsmen, the soldier shouting something in Y’Dalian when he hears the loud thump. “<What the fuck!?>” The guard questions no one, so startled he falls out of his chair. Once he collects himself, he swings around, shoulders going lax when he sees Ben. “<Oh… it was just you, little wizard,>” He says, still speaking purely in Y’Dalian; it’s a good thing Ben is fluent in the language. “<Let me guess; you’re in terrible pain, aren’t you? You can thank your new master for that, as he ordered your cell’s floor to be hexed, lest you try escaping. You see, he’s well aware of how crafty you supposedly are, and he doesn’t want you running off before you two can chat.>”

Ben grits his teeth through the pain, sitting up on his knees to scowl viciously at his captor, the ache finally beginning to wane, if only slightly. “<Fuck you, pig.>” He growls in admittedly pretty poor Y’Dalian, but it’s not his fault he rarely gets to practice, on account of the Y’Dala rarely liking to converse with those outside their villages and clans.

The guard is visibly shocked by Ben’s use of the language, eyes widening behind his helmet’s loose visor. “<You… know Y’Dalian?>” He asks, just to be certain. “<My apologies, it’s just… we don’t get many speakers in this area. You a stray of theirs?>”

“<I don’t answer to you.>” Benjamin deadpans, having no interest in chitchatting with some useless fucking crony; he wants to talk with whoever’s in charge.

The guard stiffens, scowling at the outlaw. “<Typical fucking wastelander,>” He grumbles, likely rolling his eyes at Ben’s behavior underneath his helmet. “<Fine, keep your secrets, you little bastard.>” With the prisoner unwilling to converse, the guard simply returns to lounging in his seat, quickly falling asleep again once he gets comfortable.

Ben watches the guard with interest, genuinely curious as to why the guy would go back to sleep so soon… he probably thinks the prisoner can’t get out, doesn’t he? Ben’s tempted to laugh, but he’s still aching enough that he’s afraid to open his mouth, lest he groan or whimper again. The wizard huffs, looking the guard up and down as he weighs his options, not sure how to approach this situation; if he stands up, it’ll hurt like a bitch, but if he stays here on the floor, he’s just gonna have to wait for someone to come get him, and he’s never been known for his patience. Benjamin bites his bottom lip, shivering as he realizes that the only way out of here, realistically, is by standing up,  _ unless…  _ he almost snaps his fingers as an brilliant idea comes to him, tempted to pat himself on the back for being so clever.

Why get up and grab the keys himself when he can get someone- or rather,  _ something-  _ else to do it for him? The outlaw glances at his wrists, smirking when he sees that although they may be cuffed together, whoever imprisoned him didn’t use spreader-bar handcuffs, giving him the chance to do some magic with his hands. In all honesty, Ben can’t say he blames whoever cuffed him for doing it this way; after all, only very young apprentice wizards bother making Critters very often, as they’re one of the easiest spells to pull off early on in one’s training. Sighing, Benjamin closes his eyes, focusing all of his energy into the keyring hanging off the guardsman’s pocket, imagining it coming to life, his own essence traveling into the otherwise inanimate object, and with an exhale…

_ Clap clap _

A wave of energy courses through the air, and within seconds, the keyring sprouts a pair of eyes, the little Critter immediately looking towards Ben for guidance. “Hey dere, friend,” Ben whispers, careful to keep his voice down. “How ya doin’, lil’ buddy? Think ya can lemme outta dis shithole?”

The Critter nods it’s body, effortlessly plucking itself free of the guard’s belt. Quieter than a mouse passing by a distracted cat, the keyring scurries over to the large door on Ben’s jail cell, quick to wrap it’s arms around one of the bars and begin climbing. “Dat’s a good boy, come on now,” Ben murmurs encouragement from the other side, watching the Critter with eager eyes. “Don’t lose focus, junior… jus’ get me outta ‘ere.”

The Critter doesn’t respond, too busy clambering up the bar, until finally, it reaches the padlock on the door. The creature angles one of it’s keys into the lock, twisting it’s whole body to unlock the door. To Ben’s relief, the minute the door unlocks, the hex on the floor dismisses itself, allowing him to breathe easier. Careful not to alert the guard still, Ben tiptoes over to the door, wordlessly holding up his wrists so that his new friend can free him, which it does without question, using a different key to snap open the lock on the handcuffs. Free of both of his prisons, Benjamin shoves the cuffs into one of the pockets on his pants, holding it open afterwards as a place to ride in for the Critter.

The keyring jingles with happiness, plopping right into the offered hiding spot. With his friend and cuffs taken care of, Ben glances at the sleeping guardsman to his left, tempted to slit the idiot’s throat while he sleeps… but no matter how long he’s been on the run, the outlaw rarely takes a life if he can help it, the very act of hurting someone making his chest ache. Still, that doesn’t keep him from stealing, so after double-checking to make sure the guard will remain asleep, Ben snatches the sword off of the guy’s belt, swinging it to rest in his own empty sword sleeve, as it seems the sword he’d had just last night was confiscated when he was taken in. Right, he’s… the wizard huffs under his breath, not sure which way to go, now that he’s loose.

With nowhere else to go, as his cell just so happens to be at the very end of a row of similar looking jail cells, Benjamin follows the hallway towards what he hopes and prays is an exit, his body tense as he waits for more guards to show up, as he seriously doubts this guy was running a one-man operation down here. As he tries to look for a way out, Ben passes a countless number of cells, and to his surprise, instead of housing dangerous criminals, thieves, or killers, all he sees are…  _ wizards. _ The outlaw’s eyes widen in shock, horrified by all of the obvious magic users in his presence, the young man feeling unbelievably uncomfortable, every bone in his body screaming that this place is bad, and he needs to get out right now.

On a better day, Ben would be tempted to let these poor fuckers out and start a riot with them, but… well, he can’t afford to watch out for anyone but himself; he’ll let fate decide these unfortunate victims’ fates. Just glad that all of the wizards are unconscious, the hexes on their cells keeping them asleep, Benjamin speedwalks down hallway after hallway, the endless corridors of what he thinks to be a dungeon driving him insane. Seriously, who the fuck designed this hellhole? A sadist? If the numerous painted eyes lining the walls are anything to go off of- which yes, look to have been painted with blood- then Ben has a feeling he’s hit the nail on the head, as only a monsterous man like El Rey could do this to someone.

_ “Hey! _ Stop right there, in the name of the law!”

Ben mutters angrily under his breath, spooked by the sudden shout, and within seconds, he can hear several pairs of boots thundering towards him like bats out of hell. Not bothering to turn around and scare himself by seeing how much harder his escapade just became, Ben runs for dear life down hallway after hallway, until finally, by some miracle or stroke of luck, he finds two large, wooden doors that looking nothing like the identical rows of iron cells down here, meaning that whatever’s through those doors… they have to lead to a higher floor, or at least an escape route! With no better opportunities available at the moment, Benjamin slams open the double doors, finding a long, somewhat spiral staircase leading up at least twenty feet.

He doesn’t even hesitate, running with all his might up the stairs, but he must’ve stepped on something hidden, as when his foot steps onto a stair about halfway up, all of the stairs abruptly change shape, turning the staircase into a slide. Ben yelps, having to fall onto his belly and hold the edges of the slide for dear life, as several feet below him, all the guards chasing him aren’t as lucky, all tripping on each other as they’re sent sliding back down. For the rest of the way upstairs, Ben is forced to crawl in a very awkward manner, trying to block out all the yelling from below as he scurries on his stomach, feeling akin to a snake. Once he reaches the top, the outlaw breathes a sigh of relief, given a brief moment to rest in front of yet another set of wooden doors, these ones embroidered with golden edges and Y’Dala text.

Well, Ben really doesn’t have time to sit here and translate, as the guards below have decided to copy his method of crawling up the slide, but even if they’re slower than he was, he needs to take advantage of his headstart. However, the outlaw is once again struck with bad luck as, when he opens the doors, instead of finding an empty hallway into the castle, he finds about ten to twelve guards- all decked out in very fancy armor, suggesting they’re part of the royal guardsmen- outside, the lot of them freezing when they see him. Offhandedly, Ben notices that the captain of the guards has a keyring out, and looks to have been searching for the right key to open the doors.

“Um…” Benjamin isn’t sure what to say really, praying to some unnamed god that he can weasel his way out of this one. “Oh, thank god y’all ‘re here! It was terrible, jus’  _ terrible!” _ He tries acting like he’s supposed to be here, giving them what he hopes to be an award winning smile. “Y’all will not  _ believe  _ what’s been goin’ on down dere… it’s a  _ riot! _ All da prisoners, dey’re bein’ led by a young, handsome rebel ta start a fuckin’ revolution down dere! Y’all oughta head down, lend our boys a hand; I’ll go ‘n get more help!”

The captain just  _ stares  _ in bewilderment at Ben, before turning to look at his men. “<Please tell me none of you are falling for this bullshit.>” He requests, earning a chorus of guards shaking their heads no, of  _ course  _ they aren’t that gullible!

While the captain isn’t looking, Ben grabs a nearby shield that was hanging on the wall, slamming it as hard as he possibly can against the back of the captain’s head. The poor guy crumbles under the blow, Ben getting lucky by knocking him out, but of course, this earns a whole crowd of royal guardsmen collectively losing their shit and running at the wizard. Yelping a little too loudly out of fear, the outlaw jumps to his left, and this typically wouldn’t help him, but just as the royal guards lunge forward, the guards from downstairs become the targets, and together, the large crowd goes sliding right back into the dungeon. Benjamin can’t help but laugh at the sight, but he doesn’t stick around, now wielding a sword and a shield as he runs further into the castle, ignoring the screams he hears from regular, everyday maids, butlers, and scholars, the citizens running to hide and get security at the sight of him.

Ben pays them no mind, nor does he give them any grief for running from him, as he would do the same in their position. Still, he wishes he could reassure them that he has no intention of hurting anyone, as he only wants to get his freedom back… okay, no, he wants his damn clothes back, too! At that, Ben pauses mid stride, blushing as he realizes he’s only in rags at this point, his usual get-up elsewhere. It’s not as if he’s naked or anything, but… well, he feels like he is, completely unaccustomed to being without his signature outfit. Maybe if Ben’s lucky, he can find them on his way out, but if not, he’s gonna need a new look. Maybe he’ll look like a professional knight this time? He’s already got a sword and shield.

As the thought comes to mind, Benjamin barely even blinks, but suddenly, he’s standing in… a  _ throne  _ room?  _ What? _ He looks around in bewilderment, so confused he can’t speak, as mere seconds ago, he was in a hallway, not a proper throne lined with… royal guards.  _ Shit. _

“Benjamin of Nowhere,” A deep, calm voice greets, and when Ben looks towards the once empty throne, he finds a tall, Y’Dala man decked to the nines and wearing a large, golden crown, which appears lopsided, or at least unevenly made, as the right side seems to almost be sinking down towards the man’s eye. “So good of you to come… I’ll be honest with you, I planned on saving you for a later date, but imagine my surprise when I caught wind that the youngest wizard in my collection has not only woken from a sleep I’d intended to be longer, but that he’s escaped his cell and begun wreaking havoc on my castle.”

Ben scowls at the king, who he knows to likely be El Rey himself, attempting to appear confident while faced with such impossible odds. “I reckon yer da king all ‘a Nowhere’s been whisperin’ ‘bout, right?” He inquires, tone conversational, but he has little patience for common courtesy. He looks the Y’Dala up and down, his sneer annoyed and impatient. “You ain’t as scary lookin’ as dey said you was… reckon yer jus’ a sheep ‘n wolves clothin’, ain’t ya?”

The guardsmen lining the walls all go tense, clearly shocked by the audacity of this young wizard. El Rey, in the meantime, gives a light chuckle, amused by Ben’s behavior. “Such a  _ brash,  _ impatient little thing. I see the rumors are true; Benjamin of Nowhere is just as indignant as they say he is,” Smirking, the king gives a few condescending, mediocre claps. “Very impressive indeed… but I must wonder, are you  _ truly  _ as great as they say? As skilled with your magic as is rumored? I’ve heard some…  _ interesting  _ things about you, Benjamin, but I am not a man who believes in taking unnecessary chances, if they can be avoided,” El Rey glances to his right, locking eyes with a gangly old man in royal attire, looking to be an advisor of some kind. “Master Sebastian, please return Benjamin all of the clothes and weaponry he was found with; I wish to test something.”

“What!?” Master Sebastian squacks, visibly shocked by El Rey’s request. He gives the king a confused, pleading look. “My king, my lord, my everything… may I ask what it is you are intending to do? Why not just dispose of this boy like the disgusting wastelander he is?”

El Rey squints at his subject, clearly irritated. “Is there a  _ problem  _ you wish to discuss with me, Master Sebastian? I gave you an order; go retrieve the prisoner’s things, please.”

“But…” Master Sebastian looks feverishly between the king and Benjamin, before giving a mighty sigh. “As you wish, your highness,” He agrees, turning heel to one of the few doors behind the throne, disappearing behind it. Not even a minute later, the man returns with a woven basket, Ben’s hat balanced on top of it. “Your things, Benjamin of Nowhere.” He says, tone tight and nothing more than professional as he hands the items to the outlaw.

Ben gives the basket an uneasy look, glancing nervously between it and the king. “What’re y’all playin’ at?” He asks, stumped by El Rey’s decision to return his things to him. Does he not understand that his spellbook should be in there? That his clothes are enchanted?

El Rey gives a slight shrug, leaning on his elbow as he watches Ben, a lazy sort of half smile on his face. “I’m interested in seeing you at your best, Benjamin,” He says, not nearly as hesitant as Ben, but that’s for pretty obvious reasons. “Once you have redressed in your usual attire, I wish to see you in action; you have already shown me much of your strength by successfully escaping, but I wonder what you are like when you are better prepared.”

“Ah,” Ben nods his head, finally understanding where the king is coming from… though he still doesn’t think it’s smart to give him  _ all  _ of his shit back. “Yer wantin’ ta see if I ain’t jus’ flyin’ on my ass ‘ere, right?”

“Exactly,” El Rey agrees, eyes glimmering with a weird look of…  _ joy?  _ Why is he so happy that Ben understood him? It was _ obvious! _ “You’re a bright one, aren’t you? It’s almost too good to be true… so let us test you, shall we?”

“Gimme a fuckin’ minute,” Benjamin grumbles, yanking on his clothes as quickly as possible, as he knows everyone is still staring at him. It’s as he’s yanking off his raggedy pants that the keyring Critter comes tumbling out, the skittish little thing staring at El Rey in obvious fear. “Oh  _ shit,” _ The young wizard says, having forgotten all about the little creature. “Um…  _ surprise? _ It’s a… thing.” He offers, trying to play it off.

“Is that… an  _ Animation?” _ Master Sebastian asks, using the official term for the Critter.

There’s a pause, before everyone in the room just sort of…  _ chuckles.  _ It’s not really  _ menacing, _ unless you classify every action done by a larger, more powerful party to be menacing, but it  _ does  _ end up unnerving Ben, as he’s one of those people to classify such a thing as malicious in nature. “How  _ adorable; _ I haven’t seen a proper Animation in  _ years.”  _ El Rey says, using a hand to cover his mouth, and hopefully stifle his inappropriate laughter.

Ignoring the annoying giggles of his onlookers, Ben feigns bending over to tie his boots, only to snatch the Critter by it’s ring, and without much warning, he tosses the little thing into his satchel, which was thankfully gifted back to him alongside his other things. In fact, pretty much  _ everything  _ that Ben had on him is here, save for… “Wait a  _ goddamn  _ minute!” Ben shouts, shooting his head up to glare daggers at El Rey. “Where da fuck you put my  _ books, _ asshole!?”

“How  _ dare  _ you take such a tone with the almighty king!” Master Sebastian bellows, glaring indignantly at the young wizard. “Have you  _ any  _ sense of dignity!? I  _ demand  _ you apologize this  _ instant!” _

“Or what, you’ll _spank_ me?” Benjamin challenges, grinning like a cat that’s just caught the family’s goldfish in plain sight.

Master Sebastian blushes a little, before looking to El Rey for guidance, obviously wanting him to be upset as well. Instead, the king simply shrugs again, and as he doesn’t seem all that bothered by Ben’s disrespectfulness, he acts as though nothing is amiss and answers the outlaw’s question. “They were all pieces that were missing from my library, and by extension my otherwise  _ vast  _ collection… consider it payment for your residency, as I’ve allowed you to wander my kingdom without any interruptions for some time now.” El Rey acts like it makes perfect sense, his posture relaxed and unafraid.

Ben scoffs, rolling his eyes as he tucks his hat back on, the young adult finally decked out in all of his clothes again. “Ya consider a billion fuckin’ dollar bounty on my ass ta not be interruptin’? Boy, who da  _ hell  _ raised yer ass?”

“That’s classified information,” El Rey says in such a rehearsed, automatic way that Ben has a feeling it’s a touchy subject. This is further proved by the king trying to move things along as quickly as possible now, not wanting to dwell on the subject. “Let’s begin your test, shall we? Master Sebastian,” Again, the king looks to his advisor, giving the man a slight smirk when they lock eyes. “Won’t you be a dear and test this escapee’s strength? We’ve much to get done today, and I’d like to give the maids time to clean up the remains of whoever dies before my next meeting.”

“It would be an honor and a privilege, my dearest, most beloved of kings,” Master Sebastian promises, unsheathing a medium-sized wand from it’s leather casing on his belt, the small jewels embedded into the magical instrument shining brilliantly when the rays from the sunset outside hit it right. The advisor chuckles in a dry, dark tone, making Ben uneasy. “It’s about time someone wise put a foolish, immature child like you in their place!” He shouts, pointing his wand at the younger wizard. “<Thunder from the North, hear my call!>”

In a flash, Ben sidesteps, ducking out of the way as a bolt of lightning whips past his head, grazing his hat and nearly lighting it ablaze, but on account of it being infused with magic, the hat doesn’t get anything more than a small scorch mark on it’s rim. Nonetheless, this irritates Benjamin in no time flat, the outlaw less than pleased to see his beloved headwear nearly ruined by such an uptight, annoying old prick such as this. For as long as Ben can remember, he’s been treated like shit by older wizards, as they always assume he’s untalented/a waste of space, just because he’s younger and without a mentor anymore. At the thought of his last mentor- if he has the dates right, it’s almost the old man’s birthday… happy birthday, Pappy- Ben throws all his previous hesitation to the wind, no longer caring if he has to kill or not.

After all, El Rey expects  _ someone  _ to die, right? If he wants a body, he’ll  _ get  _ a fucking body. Snatching his own wand out of his satchel, it being an old and worn out thing, Ben points it at the other wizard, whispering a spell under his breath, which sends a fireball flying at the older man. Master Sebastian barely gets out of the way in time, and again, he casts lightning towards his target. Instead of sidestepping or ducking this time, Ben casts a reverse spell on his wand, and like a little league baseball player, he wacks the lightning away from himself, only for Master Sebastian to do the same with his wand, and within seconds, they’re practically playing tennis with a ball of lightning that’s only getting more intense with each reversal spell.

“Give it up, boy!” Master Sebastian orders, the old man glowering at his foe. “Do you  _ honestly  _ think a  _ pitiful  _ thing such as yourself can win?”

“I’m more fuckin’ stubborn den an old mule, so yeah, I think I can at least outlast ya, old man!” Benjamin shouts, smirking as he hits the lightning again, this time adding a bit of fire alongside it, making it all the more certain he’ll die, should he lose his rhythm and swing wrong. “What, ya think yer better, jus’ ‘cus yer older? Partner, dere’s no point in bein’ frightened ‘a the next generation… unless, ‘a course, yer a piece a shit who can’t stand bein’ wrong.”

Master Sebastian growls, and seeing as Ben added fire into the magical concoction, he has no reservations against adding icicles to it, though they quickly melt, resulting in slashing blades of water surrounding the spell’s center. “I’ve no fear of children!” The advisor bellows, though his voice lacks confidence, at least to Ben’s ears. “The only thing I fear is a whelp such as yourself attempting to harm my beloved king!”

“Damn, you suck dick wid dat mouth? Ya sure do talk a lot,” Ben says, as if he himself hasn’t been blabbering on this whole time. Laughing under his breath, he effortlessly adds a variety of stones from his satchel into the spell, because if they’re really doing this, he may as well keep raising the stakes. “What’s wrong, old man? Ya lookin’ pretty squirmy over dere.” He points out, smirking at the state his rival is in.

Indeed, Master Sebastian is becoming exhausted, the older wizard clearly frustrated by Ben’s lack of fatigue. “Will you just  _ stop  _ already, you  _ brat!? _ You know I’ll win, so die while you have the chance to make it fast!” He screams, putting his shoulder into swinging his wand, hardly able to keep up with the boy’s energy. Out of desperation, he squints at Ben, and in a way the teen could only describe to be slimy, Sebastian grins. “You know… the king is not the only man who has heard of you, Benjamin of Nowhere… rumor has it, you’re a bastard found in the woods, and the only parent you’ve known isn’t even alive anymore,” He pauses only to hit the ball back, continuing after taking a quick breath. “I and everyone in this castle knows what you are, where you came from… no wonder your father allowed himself to die of sickness; I would do the same, had I such a worthless apprentice like he did.”

Time seems to go still, Benjamin’s eyes widening as Master Sebastian’s words sink in. Shaking, he drops his wand, watching as his rival’s grin becomes sadistic, so excited to watch this young wizard die… not even blinking, Ben raises a hand, stopping the spell from hitting him with his will alone, the youthful spellcaster unknowingly dissociating as the world seems to spin and pull, everything feeling unreal. The next thing Ben knows, he’s blinking himself back to reality, only to find a smoldering pile of ash where Master Sebastian once stood- offhandedly, he realizes he heard the old man screaming, begging for mercy, but Ben hadn’t been able to help him in such a state- while all of the guards watch on, their silence and fidgeting giving away just how scared they are of him now.

Still shaking a little, Ben glances at the hand he’d used to block the spell, only to find the glove he’d been wearing burnt off, the palm of his hand covered in a nasty burn. The pain, if there is any, doesn’t register in his brain. Disoriented, the wizard looks around the throne room like a lost baby deer, so confused and bewildered, trying to recall what he did, what he said… but he can’t remember. With nothing else to do, Benjamin crouches down to grab his satchel, very much aware of the guards watching him like hawks, simultaneously too scared to intervene and too loyal to their king to run. After making sure the Critter inside his bag is okay- it’s scared, but unharmed- Ben turns his gaze towards El Rey, feeling like he’s someone else now.

“Well?” Ben asks, tone empty, though he wants it to come off as belligerent, in an attempt to salvage his pride. “Dat entertainin’ enough fer ya?”

El Rey tilts his head in thought, glancing at his advisor’s ashes, before looking at Ben again, his gaze…  _ understanding, _ in a way. “Hm… seems Master Sebastian should have held his tongue, yes? He always did bother me with his ageist behavior… oh well, not that it matters now,” He acts almost bored with his body language, but his eyes are that of a scientist, eager to learn more, still stuck like glue on the duel’s winner. “As for that spell… you just don’t know when to stop, do you? You kept making it bigger and stronger, without so much as an ounce of worry that it might backfire on you. You’re reckless, but you’re good at not earning any consequences for it,” El Rey stands for the first time, and damn, he really  _ is  _ tall. The king strides towards Benjamin, not the least bit afraid to approach him, the eye of his crown glowing, but he lays a hand over it’s pupil, as if silencing it. “You’re a very clever bastard, Benjamin of Nowhere… I’ve no doubt that you know what I do to wizards that come into my possession, yes? Lucky for you, magic is not such a limited resource that we must waste potential, and as you’ve passed my test… you win a  _ very  _ special prize.”

“A _ prize? _ What prize?” Ben asks, hating how childishly excited he sounds. Deep down, he has a feeling what his reward is going to be, and it’s whatever title the guy who is now a pile of ashes once held.

El Rey smirks, all too pleased with whatever it is he’s decided to do. “Why, you’re getting a promotion,” He says, beginning to circle Ben, looking the other man up and down, his gaze thoughtful yet authoritative. “You’re such a young,  _ brilliant  _ wizard, aren’t you? Such a prodigy at twenty, you must be sick of your talents being wasted, or even worse, dismissed,” When Ben opens his mouth to argue, not wanting to hear this bullshit, the king doesn’t even let him get started. “Don’t even  _ try  _ lying to me, Benjamin; despite your age, you’ve proven many times throughout your short life that you are even better than some of your hundred year old peers, and that is quite the impressive feit, especially when wizards are working so hard to become more powerful than they ever have been,” With no sense of personal space, El Rey crowds himself against Ben, pleased when the younger man refuses to back up, resulting in them being chest to chest. “How would you like a greater meaning to your life, Benjamin? How would you like a bed to sleep in, all the food you can eat, all the books you’d ever want to read, and  _ so  _ much more? That man you just killed; Master Sebastian? He was my advisor, as well as my lead researcher in magical artifacts, my personal spellcaster, and my librarian. Seeing as you have proven yourself a much more competent magic user than him… I offer you his old job.”

Ben considers the king in front of him, sizing him up carefully. This close, he can smell the sweet, subtle dusting of expensive perfume on the Y’Dala man’s neck, making him smell like pine trees and cinnamon; it’s a lovely scent. Shaking his head while simultaneously fighting down an inappropriate blush, Ben thinks over El Rey’s offer, weighing the options in his head. If he refuses, he’s scared he’ll be killed on the spot for saying no, but… one look into the king’s eyes and, while the Y’Dala would obviously be irritated, he wouldn’t murder Benjamin for not taking the offer. Nonetheless, the spellcaster figures that it would still be a bad idea to turn down this opportunity, as word would likely get out that he did so, and if his fellow wizards caught wind that he had a chance like this… yeah, despite his skills, Ben knows he’d be dead in a gutter by nightfall.

Even if it  _ is  _ the best option available to him, the wizard is still tentative about accepting El Rey’s offer, secretly scared that all of this is a ruse… but if the king wanted him dead, then Ben would be just as dead as Master Sebastian. Oh dear god, are they gonna start calling him Master Benjamin? The outlaw bristles, hating the title more than anything else on earth, but everything that comes with such a name… he isn’t going to lie, El Rey’s offer sounds  _ really  _ damn good. He’d have a nice bed to sleep in, he would never go hungry again (not to mention, the food here is probably amazing), and to top it all off, he’d have full access to every spellbook imaginable. That thought alone has Ben embarrassingly excited, hardly able to contain his urge to beg for a book right this instant.

“…Say I considered agreein’ ta dis proposition ‘a yours,” Benjamin snaps out of it, trying to talk in a professional manner with the king before him. “What exactly would I be expected ta do ‘ere, other den tendin’ ta books ‘n lookin’ pretty?”

El Rey smiles a little, and although the king is a disgusting wizard murderer, Ben can’t help but like the guy, if only a little, as he obviously has a desire to seek knowledge as well; there aren’t enough people like that these days. “I’m so glad you asked, Benjamin,” He says, and without asking, he slings an arm casually over Ben’s shoulders, pulling the shorter man to walk with him out of the throne room, and down the hallway leading to it. The walls are lined with large, beautiful tapestries, which all seem to be of Nowhere’s history. “You see, although you will have many responsibilities as my personal wizard, I also need someone who can be another voice during my meetings. The people of Nowhere… they depend on me to be a perfect king, but I know I do not always meet their expectations. At times, this cannot be avoided, but as I am out of touch with the citizens, being royalty and all, I need a… less  _ courteous _ advisor. My subjects, they worship me to a point of obsession, and I cannot be surrounded by yesmen; I need someone like you, who is brash and honest, unafraid to tell me off, should I make a bad decision that could result in disaster for my people.”

“You…  _ want  _ me ta argue wid ya?” Ben asks, puzzled by the king’s rant. “Ya serious? No offense, but I  _ know  _ what ya do wid people who piss ya off.”

“I would never hurt  _ you,  _ Benjamin,” El Rey promises, and although the other man has had little time to get to know the Y’Dala, Ben has a feeling he means it. “I may argue with you in turn, as I’ll admit, you’re a frustrating man to have around… but I like that. Should you agree to stay here and be my advisor, I’ll see to it that you’ll have all I’ve promised you, as well as a certain level of…  _ immunity, _ so to speak,” He stops walking, turning to place his hands on Ben’s shoulders, his expression painfully emotionless. “So long as you do your job, and you continue to please me, I shall see to it that this crown never harms you.”

Ben glances nervously at the crown in question, it’s jeweled eye making a chill run down his spine, something in the crown feeling…  _ alive. _ “Dat sounds…  _ nice,” _ Ben agrees, feeling far more unnerved than he’d like. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm down, before meeting the king’s eyes, his own full of uncertainty. “I… alright, El Rey, I’ll… I’ll be yer advisor, ‘r whatever ya need me ta be. Jus’… try not ta eat me anytime soon?”

Surprisingly enough, El Rey laughs outright, and damn, his laugh is… kinda nice. “Hahaha… you think I  _ eat  _ wizards, Benjamin?  _ Ha!  _ That’s a new one… no, it’s more complicated than that; I consume their magical essence, and by extension, their souls. Honestly, I thought more people knew that by now.”

“Okay, I’ve da right ta argue wid ya; you said dat, right?” Ben asks, and upon earning a nod, he glares at El Rey. “‘Splain ta me how da fuck dat ain’t eatin’ people, yer majesty! Swear ta fuckin’ god, what’s next? Ya gonna have me scurryin’ in midway through a meetin’, a wizard hogtied on a silver platter wid a side ‘a bread ‘n butter? Please, lemme get yer royal fuckin’  _ bib.” _ He doesn’t even really hesitate, his earlier fight with Master Sebastian draining him of his energy and, by extension, his filter, which he probably really needs right now.

Luckily for Benjamin, that just makes El Rey lose it laughing again, the king having to hug his stomach to keep from puking. “<Oh god, oh god,>” El Rey giggles in Y’Dalian, tears beginning to fill his eyes. “Benjamin of Nowhere, I sincerely hope you keep this sense of humor during future meetings; it will make them so much less tedious!”

“Pappy always  _ did  _ say I had a good sense ‘a humor,” Ben admits, smirking with pride, before his smile drops. “Dat, ‘r he said somethin’ like  _ ‘One more wise ass joke outta you ‘n I’mma kick yer ass hard enough you’ll have a plus sign’.” _

El Rey- the dignified, infamous,  _ terrifying  _ king of Nowhere- proceeds to completely unravel in front of his new advisor, having to lean on Ben to stay upright, he’s laughing so damn hard. All the while, Ben considers using a spell that might kill the king, considers running away while he has the chance, considers a whole lot of things… but it would be better if he stays here, right? Better to live among the enemy, learn El Rey’s weaknesses, and use them to save all of Nowhere. Yeah,  _ that’s  _ why Benjamin plans on staying here, and totally not for the warm, cozy bed he’ll be sleeping in tonight, for the delicious three course meal he’ll be served at suppertime, for the mountain of beautiful, ancient books awaiting him in the library tomorrow morning, and he most certainly, under no circumstances, is staying because El Rey has a nice laugh, and he really wants to hear it some more. Yep, definitely for none of those reasons.

It will only occur to Ben nearly sixty years later, when he’s jumping out a three story window, that he’s lying to himself.

* * *

The next morning, Benjamin is roused from his slumber by a squirrel darting past his tent, the tiny scuttling around to find acorns before winter hits. The wizard let’s out a long, fatigued groan, not wanting to get up just yet, but… he gives a mighty shiver, freezing cold without his usual layers on. He sits up in bed, wincing as he withdraws from the warm cocoon of his sleeping bag, but he needs to get dressed, or else he’ll freeze to death. Ben pulls on his many layers of clothing with a sigh of relief, finding comfort in wearing so much cloth; back when he lived with El Rey, the king would occasionally tease his head researcher for being so averse to any sort of chill, but Ben hadn’t paid the Y’Dala any mind, waving off his jabs as pure ignorance, as no matter where he goes, no matter the climate, Ben always ends up feeling cold.

This, of course, makes the upcoming winter all the more intimidating for him, as up until now, the wizard has simply casted long sleeping spells on himself to last throughout the winter, more or less hibernating until it was finally over. However, Ben would often wake up sick in the spring, and would be forced to care for himself for at least a few weeks before he could go on the move again. Now that Annabeth’s going to be helping him build a house, Benjamin hopes he won’t get sick from the cold anymore, but… well, he probably can’t get away with hibernating again, seeing as Anna’s intent on hanging out with him more often.

At the thought of the red headed farmer, Ben begins pulling on the last of his many shirts, as he doesn’t want the woman to see too much of his body, leaving only his bandana and hat to put on last. It’s while he’s adjusting his shirt, trying to make sure it’s not on backwards again, that he hears shuffling in the woods outside his tent. Ben goes frighteningly still, eyes wide in silent terror. Unwillingly, he imagines how easy it would’ve been for Anna to run home, tell her family everything, organize an angry mob, and return at daybreak to burn the wizard alive. Ben shivers with dread, afraid that this could be the case, so he shuts his eyes, focusing all of his energy into his hands, feeling them warm up with the life of his magic.

Delicately, he lays his hands on the ground of his tent, eyes still shut as he intricately imagines his powers soaking into the dirt like rain water, coursing through the earth and making it’s way towards where the shuffling had been heard. With a low click of his tongue, Benjamin releases the spell, only to hear a single loud, frightened shout outside. Not even hesitating, he shoots out of his tent, in a frenzy as he realizes what he just did. Before him, Anna is being held upside down by several thorn-covered vines, the young farmer flailing and screaming like a maniac. Ben can’t say he blames her, as he would freak out too if he was being attacked by magic for the first time.

“Benjamin!” Anna belows, glaring daggers at the wizard. “Ben, you git me down this  _ instant!  _ The heck you thinkin’, attackin’ me like dat!?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Ben murmurs, sheepish as he forces the vines to let Anna go, but not before making sure he’s standing underneath his friend, catching her before she can hit her head on the ground. He holds her bridal style, giving her an uneasy little smile. “Um… mornin’, doll,” He greets, pretending he didn’t just nearly kill her. “How you doin’?”

“Well, I’ll admit, I’ve had worse mornings,” Anna confesses, though she still crosses her arms at Benjamin, leveling him with a completely unimpressed sneer. “You gonna put me down now?”

“Right, ‘a course,” Ben says, gingerly setting Annabeth back on her feet, unable to keep from looking her up and down, eyes lingering on her ankles. “You hurtin’ anywhere? Dem thorns ‘re sharper den you’d think.”

“I sure know dat now,” Anna grumbles, rolling her eyes at Ben’s fretting. “Seriously, Ben, what were ya thinkin’!? What, you thought I was some kinda bandit ‘r somethin’?”

Benjamin averts his eyes, not willing to tell her what he really thought, so he goes with her assumption. “Uh… yeah, somethin’ like dat,” He agrees, scratching the back of his head, his conscience chiding him for being so quick to assume the worst. “I’m awful sorry fer gettin’ ya, Anna… wasn’t my intention ta hurt ya none. I suppose I’m jus’ a lil’ too cautious.”

Anna sighs, nodding in agreement. “I know, Ben… you’ve been through a lot ‘a bull, haven’t ya?” Gently, she lays a hand on Ben’s cheek, a wiry smile blooming on her face. “Ya know, I don’t think I’ve seen yer face ‘fore… wid looks like yers, I betcha you could flirt yer way outta anythin’.”

Ben blushes, though he doubts the farmer can recognize it as such a thing on his onyx tinted skin. “Er… thanks, darlin’,” He says, wishing he had his hat on so he could shield his eyes. “Can’t say most folk share yer sentiment, on account ‘a me not quite bein’ normal lookin’.”

“Well, folks give my family crap fer bein’  _ ‘dirty gingers' _ as dey put it, so I think I get how ya feel,” Anna sympathizes with the spellcaster, her smile turning more empathetic and kind. “You wanna finish gettin’ ready while I look ‘round some more, hun? I figure I must’ve jumped ya while ya were gettin’ dressed, didn’t I?”

“Somethin’ like dat, yeah,” Ben says, turning around to head back to his tent, continuing to duck his head in thinly veiled shame. “I’ll be right back, got it? Don’t go breakin’ nothin’, please.” He adds some manners for good measure, wanting to keep Anna on his good side after nearly killing her earlier.

“I won’t,” Anna promises, already opening one of his spellbooks to flip through it, reading the passages before her with great interest. “I’ll jus’ be readin’ ‘til yer done.”

Benjamin doesn’t bother to keep the conversation going anymore, instead taking the chance given to him to crawl back into his tent, pulling on the rest of his getup with a relieved sigh, grateful that Annabeth didn’t give him too much shit for being unmasked in front of her. Once he’s redressed, having taken extra time to make sure his bandana won’t come undone or anything of that nature, Ben scuttles back out of his tent, finding Anna exactly where he left her, the young farmer nose-first in one of his spellbooks. Although she’s never read or practiced magic before, the woman has one of her hands held out to the side, attempting to whisper one of the spells under her breath.

Ben simply stares at Anna, hardly able to believe what he’s seeing; most folk haven’t the faintest idea what they’re doing when it comes to learning magic, quick to give up and throw a fit when they discover how much reading and practice is involved, but if the smallest of glows that surrounds Anna’s hand is anything to go by, then Ben believes he’s hit the apprentice jackpot. Oh sure, he used to be asked by El Rey to try tutoring potential wizards, but he always gave up rather quickly, frustrated with his various students’ lack of cooperation. However, Annabeth clearly seems dedicated, and even if he’s never had an interest in the past… Ben wants to see what this farmer is capable of, given enough assistance of course.

“I see  _ someone’s  _ studyin’ hard,” Ben comments, lying on his stomach and sticking halfway out of the tent, his head propped up on one of his arms, the wizard giving his friend a mischievous and knowing smirk. “Find anythin’ interestin’ in dere, darlin?”

Anna startles at the sound of his voice, the glow that had once been surrounding her hand dissipating in an instant, though she doesn’t seem to realize it was ever there. “Yer done awful fast,” She comments, trying to play off what she was doing, nearing dropping the book in her franticness to put it back where she found it. “So, uh… ready ta get started on buildin’ dat house?” She inquires, changing the subject in an instant.

Benjamin finally pauses, realizing what time it is.  _ “Wait… _ what’re you  _ doin’ ‘ere _ dis early?” He asks, more confused than he’d ever like to be. “I thought you would need more time!”

“It was easy gettin’ out fer a few months,” Annabeth explains, standing up with a grin. “All I hads ta do was fake a letter from my grandpappy, sayin’ he needed somebody ta stay wid ‘im fer the winter ta take care ‘a him,” She sounds quite proud of herself, satisfied with her intricate excuse to get away from her family. “Seein’ as none ‘a my siblings would ever wanna hike across da desert, I volunteered ta go. As far as my folks ‘re concerned, dey won’t be seein’ me again ‘til mid spring.”

At first, Ben is impressed by Anna’s ability to lie, but he’s just as quickly overcome with panic, eyes wide with horror. “Wait, ‘til  _ spring!? _ Much as I love yer company, Ann, I don’t got no room ta put ya!” He explains, secretly feeling guilty for not warning Anna in advance.

“What, you thought I was thinkin’ I could fit in yer tiny lil’ tent, Ben?” Anna asks, laughing outright when her friend simply nods his head. “Hahaha… gosh dang, Ben, I ain’t  _ stupid!  _ I brought plenty ‘a gear ta tide me over,” She explains, setting a large backpack on the ground that the wizard hadn’t noticed earlier, the farmer quick to begin unpacking her belongings. “Don’t you worry none, I’ll be plenty able ta care fer myself out here;  _ see?” _

Over the course of the next twenty or so minutes, Anna meticulously unpacks everything she brought along for her stay, Benjamin unable to do anything but stare at the display, jaw slack beneath his bandana in utter shock. Slowly, the farmer unloads several bags of charcoal, a few meals worth of packed lunches, multiple bags of different seeds, an old but reliable looking box of tools, a well-made sleeping bag, a cloth bundle that’s likely a tent of her own, several liters of water, and so much more than Ben ever would have expected her to bring. It’s not that he thinks Anna is dumb by any means, as he’s seen time and time again that she’s clever, strong, and reliable, but he would be lying if he said he expected her to be so well-prepared.

Throughout the years that Ben has been alive, he’s learned not to expect very much of the common folk of Nowhere, as more often than not, if he expects anything more than willful ignorance from the wastelanders, he’ll end up disappointed. Now, he doesn’t believe that  _ everyone  _ in Nowhere is an idiot, but he  _ does  _ believe that  _ most  _ people in Nowhere are idiots; there’s a distinct difference. Needless to say, this makes him all the more inclined to be around Anna, finding her to be a breath of fresh air compared to most people Benjamin has encountered during his adventures across Nowhere.

Snapping out of it, Ben let’s out a long, pleased whistle. “Well, I’ll be… ya sure came prepared, didn’t ya? I’m impressed.” It may seem degrading to some folks for him to outright say he’s impressed, but seeing as his Pappy rarely handed out praise… well, let’s just say that it makes Ben more inclined to encourage his friends.

Annabeth actually blushes, looking away with a small smile. “Aw,  _ shucks…  _ yer such a sweetheart,” She says, tone sheepish. “Not often I get told I’m doin’ stuff right… far as my family’s concerned, I ain’t good at nothin’.”

“Da fuck?” Ben doesn’t even  _ try  _ to hold his tongue, shocked by the admission. “You serious? Den clearly yer family don’t know what they’re missin’ out on.”

“Aw, dey ain’t  _ dat  _ bad,” Anna assures, though it sounds like she’s repeated that phrase a thousand times over. “Jus’ a bit…  _ secluded, _ I suppose.”

Ben isn’t sure why Anna worded it that way, but he can tell she’s uncomfortable, so he does her a favor by changing the subject. “I see you brought a hell of a lotta tools fer da job… so, where should we even start?” If they stand here all day tongue-tying each other, they’ll never get anything done, and the wizard would be furious if such a thing occurred, no matter how much he secretly loves talking with the redhead.

Anna nods in agreement, opening the toolbox to pull out- much to Ben’s shock- a full set of blueprints to build a cottage. “Fer starters, we really oughta start gatherin’ some big, sturdy chunks ‘a wood fer da base, as well as start settin’ up some good stilts to lay on, lest some rain finally hit’s ‘n soaks the whole thing,” Once done rambling, she gives Ben a confused look, noticing the baffled look on his face. “Benny? What’s wrong, boy?” She asks, concerned for the spellcaster’s well-being.

Benjamin swallows, pulling nervously at his bandana. “It’s jus’… I guess I didn’t expect ya ta have a whole set ‘a blueprints ready ta go. My apologizes, Ann, I just ain’t used ta people bein’ so, well, quick ta get shit done.”

Anna offers him an understanding smile. “Gosh dang, you must’ve really suffered out dere, if you ain’t ever had no reliability from folks,” She observes, her tone sympathetic. “Don’t fret, Ben, I’ll help ya through dis, alright? Dat’s what I’m here for, ain’t it?”

“I’m sure dat ain’t  _ all  _ yer here for,” Ben mutters, scratching the back of his head again, something he’s beginning to suspect is a nervous habit. Still watching the farmer lay out her belongings, he keeps chattering, internally praying he won’t say anything stupid. “Anybody ever tell ya dat yer too nice ta people? Most folk wouldn’t be dis civil towards me, much less help me out.”

“Again, I’m startin’ ta think you’ve been through too much bullcrap,” Annabeth says, still holding no aggressiveness in her voice. “What can I tell ya, Benny? I don’t much like seein’ good people suffer none, ‘n I don’t think you deserve ta freeze ta death.”

“Most would argue dat I ain’t any kinda good, doll.” Benjamin admits, looking away with a grimace on his face; why isn’t this girl acting like a total bitch yet? Why isn’t she hurting him? Everyone else has either turned on him or abandoned him by now, so he doesn’t get why Anna’s acting so…  _ friendly.  _ It’s unsettling.

“Den those people don’t know ya well enough,” Anna deadpans, smiling all the while. “I know ya don’t believe me yet, Ben, but I think yer one ‘a da best people I ever did meet. Yer polite when ya ain’t frightened, ya got a heart ‘a gold, and ya helped me out when ya didn’t have to,” She levels the wizard with a stare, eyes full of an emotion Ben can’t name or decipher. “The night we met, ya easily coulda let me get in trouble wid my Daddy, but ya didn’t; ya got yerself nearly shot savin’ my hide, and we’d just met, too,” She looks back to her gear, continuing to unpack as she speaks her mind. “Yer a  _ real  _ good boy, Benny… ‘n if nobody’s got the guts ta tell ya dat, I’ll tell ya as much as ya need me to.”

Benjamin’s lonesome heart catches in his throat, the wizard completely dumbfounded by the kindness of the woman in front of him. All his life, people have backstabbed him, abandoned him, or attempted to sell him off for the impressive bounty on his head. At this point, he’s tried to get himself to give up on humanity as a whole, no matter how heartbreaking as that is to do; over a century ago, when he was just a child, he liked to believe most folk were kind hearted, even if he rarely interacted with strangers… then he grew up, and learned the hard way that most folk wanted nothing to do with someone like him. To them, Ben was an oddity, and oddities were made to burn hot on a fire, not blossom into a possible lifelong friend or ally.

El Rey made him second guess his views on people, believing them to be good again, but once the crown started to corrupt the previously charitable king of Nowhere, Ben was again made to lose his trust in the world, believing that even the kindness of man could be swallowed up whole by their greed, as well as their desire for power. Now here the wizard is, just shy of one-hundred and thirty, faced with whole-hearted kindness from a relative stranger, and even though Anna is still expecting a favor from him someday, Ben can’t help but think that she isn’t counting on him to fulfill that promise. After all, he had to talk her into even accepting any kind of reward from him, so it’s not like she’ll come after him if he refuses to give her anything in return for her help.

All too suddenly, Benjamin realizes that he doesn’t want Anna to leave, and that thought, among other things, terrifies him.

“Benny? Benjamin, ‘re you alright?” Annabeth inquires, eyebrows furrowed in concern for the gangly wizard. “Did I say somethin’ wrong, hun?”

“Naw, ya didn’t say nothin’ wrong, doll,” Ben promises, fighting to keep from crying over something so stupid and reckless. “So, uh… we need us some sturdy wood, right? I’ll start gatherin’ it fer us.” He starts to walk into the briar, having to step over Anna’s things to get there.

Anna catches him by one of his gloved hands, eyes pleading as she stares up at Ben. “Benny…” She murmurs, voice so soft, it makes Ben want to hug her and never let go. “Ya know I ain’t ever gonna judge ya, if ya need ta talk ‘bout somethin’… I’m yer friend, ‘member? If you gots ta cry, ‘r talk, ‘r anythin’, I’m here for ya, darlin’.”

Benjamin simply nods, feeling unsteady on his own two feet, as if he’s piloting someone else’s body and not his own. For the rest of the day, he gathers several large helpings of wood, dragging the pieces back to his campsite for Anna to examine and judge whether or not they’ll make for good building materials. Every time he returns, the place looks cleaner than it did last time, the redhead that’s now in his company doing her best to clean up the camp in order to make it more presentable and orderly, careful not to damage anything in the process. By nightfall, they’ve got the entire campsite resting on the edge of the clearing, leaving plenty of room to build the cottage and all of the furniture they’ll put into it.

During one of his wood collecting trips, Annabeth actually takes down his old tent, setting up her own instead, as it’s quite a bit bigger and in better shape, with enough room for both her  _ and  _ Ben’s sleeping bags to rest inside, giving them the advantage of numbers, should someone try attacking them in the dead of night. After dark, the two of them set up a small campfire, cooking a large stew to be shared between them, Benjamin telling his friend a few of the tamer tales from his travels, while Anna in turns tells him of all the wacky hijinks she and her siblings have gotten into over the years. They laugh through most of dinner, and afterwards, they crawl into the same tent to rest for the night, and all the while, Ben feels less alone than he has in over eighty years, for once not shivering through the night, as Anna’s very presence makes his chest warm, though he’s too cautious to name the root of this warmth, even in his dreams.

* * *

“Good fuckin’ god,” Benjamin murmurs, nearly tripping on one of the piles of books on his way back into camp, a log being carried over one of his shoulders. “You really had ta put my shit right where I could trip on it, huh?”

“Language,” Annabeth warns, as if she isn’t already well-adjusted to how often the wizard swears, even slipping up and cursing on occasion as well, though she’s no match for Ben’s foul mouth. “‘N I didn’t mean ta leave ‘em there, doll; jus’ needed ‘em outta my way for a minute.”

“Well, they ain’t gonna be as much of a problem by da end of the night,” Ben assures, laying down the log with a loud exhale, glad to be rid of the weight. “I’ve half a mind ta sit ‘n build some bookshelves fer a spell, seein’ as we keep trippin’ on my shit.”

“About time,” Anna says, but she doesn’t sound genuinely irritated, coming off as more relieved than anything else. “Was gettin’ worried I’d ruin one ‘a yer spellbooks.”

The last month has passed quicker than Benjamin thought it would, now that he has so much to do. For nearly a century, he’s been simply getting up, eating, scavenging, and sleeping every single day, with very few changes in his schedule. With the building of his soon-to-be new house, the wizard’s had more than a few things to do, and Anna’s helped him figure out a good rhythm so he doesn’t fall behind or shirk his work. Speaking of the farmer, Ben has become more and more accustomed to having her in his life, finding her personality rather addictive. Although she’s generous and empathetic to a fault, Anna still has one hell of an attitude to her, never letting Ben give her too much lip before biting back, and even when she  _ does  _ bite back, she’s not as vicious as most people the wizard has met.

In-between bouts of working on building the cottage- which has most of the framework done by now, beginning to finally look like a house, save for a lack of furniture, appliances, and homey decorations- the duo have been getting to know each other better. Ben, of course, has been very careful about what he does and doesn’t talk about in front Annabeth, while Anna tells him just about everything about her life before meeting him, as unlike the spellcaster, she doesn’t have  _ nearly  _ as many horror stories and bounties haunting her like ghosts. If all her stories are true, Ben can’t say he’s surprised by the woman’s honesty with him, as by all accounts, it seems she’s lived a rather boring- and possibly even miserable- life.

Even with such nothingness having consumed her life for so long, Benjamin would be lying if he claimed that she was in any way stupid. She’s a tad naive, sure, but she has a willingness to learn and explore, something that’s hard to come by these days. And if all of her other qualities weren’t enough to make her worth keeping around, Anna’s potential as a magic user is extraordinary, and has Ben absolutely  _ captivated. _ She’s not quite on his level when it comes to potential- that’s not even him tooting his own horn, as all his life, every authority figure he’s ever had has implied much the same, grumbling about how Ben was too strong for his own good- but that doesn’t deter the wizard in the slightest.

If anything, it makes him even  _ more  _ inclined to teach her magic, wanting to see just how much she can do with that brilliant mind of hers. And yet… the more time Ben spends in Anna’s company, the more uneasy he becomes, his rampantly paranoid brain believing that this is all too good to be true, and he really oughta think of a way out of here before shit hits the fan. Realistically, Benjamin knows his mind is playing tricks on him, and that his situation is genuinely good and safe, but… well, paranoia’s a spiteful little bitch that wants him dead, and no matter how far he runs and how hard he fights it, Ben’s conscience will always be stalked by his ever present fear, intent on burying him in an early grave.

The sound of Annabeth’s voice breaks Ben of his daydreaming. “Benny? Doll, ‘re you alright?” Anna asks, her eyes full of concern when looking at the wizard. “You seem kinda shaken up, honey.”

“Me? Naw, I’m fine, Annie,” Ben promises, rubbing at his eyes as he tries to keep from becoming lost in his thoughts again. “Somethin’ up, darlin’? Need me ta move somethin’ again?”

Anna doesn’t seem entirely convinced that Benjamin is okay, if her expression is anything to go off of, but as she’s uninterested in arguing with her friend, she brushes it off to worry about later. “Uh… yeah, I kinda do,” She admits after a short silence. She nods her head towards a large, round, black cauldron-like object, looking to be a stove. “Can ya help me lift dat? Would do it myself, but it’s way too heavy.”

“‘Course,” Ben agrees, running to help carry the large stove. Anna built it a few weeks ago, using the same method her folks used to build their own stove, and although it’s nothing compared to the equipment in the capitol, Ben is still impressed with how good it works, having tested it with his partner last night. Shaking it off, he smiles at Anna, waiting until she’s on the other side of the stove to kneel down, ready to pick the equipment up. “Alright, we’re gonna lift dis on three, got it? If you start slippin’, jus’ shout ‘n we’ll put it down ‘fore somebody can get hurt.” Ben says, remembering all the times El Rey’s guards tried helping him carry new bookshelves into his library, only for some dumbass to drop it on someone’s foot and nearly break their toes.

“Got it,” Anna replies, giving Ben a slight smile as she too crouches to lift the stove. Her smile suggests she’s done this many times before, but she’s courteous enough to not give Ben shit for giving her instructions. “Okay, you ready?” She asks, waiting for Ben’s nod. “Alright; one, two, three!” She lifts with all her might, watching as her friend does the same.

In all honesty, Ben isn’t all that accustomed to moving furniture, usually leaving it to the guards back home- even if their help was, at the best of times, dangerously unreliable- but with Anna helping him out, it’s not nearly as hard as he thought it would be. Together, the duo works in perfect harmony, giving each other orders in a calm voice as they crab-walk the stove towards the cottage, working together to carry it up the porch steps and through the doorway, having to be extra careful not to drop it in the process. The hardest part out of the way, they continue by walking the stove into the kitchen/dining room, setting it down against the wall with a loud, shared grunt between them.

In the aftermath, Benjamin can’t resist taking a seat on the floor beside the new stove, giving the inside of his home a weak little smile; they still need a lot more furniture, which the wizard is confident in his ability to build, but after that, everything looks pretty damn good. The cottage isn’t exactly luxurious or huge, only having a kitchen that doubles as a dining room, a large bedroom, a smaller bedroom for extra space, a living room, and a small outhouse built in for convenience, but it’ll make for a great home. If you told Ben a month ago that not only would he be living in a cabin he helped to build, but that he got help from a kind farmgirl to do it, he’d likely use his magic to check that you hadn’t been possessed or lost your mind.

Anna leans heavily on the stove, and seeing as it’s unlit and not at risk of lighting without help, she lays belly-first over the top, her face inches away from Ben’s as she grins at him. “Dat was awful tiring, now wasn’t it? Gotta say, Benny, yer a lot better at dis den any ‘a my siblings back home, seein’ as dey can’t coordinate for heck.”

Ben laughs lightly at that, Annabeth’s very presence putting him at ease. “Well, it sure is easy ta get shit done when you’ve got a good partner for da job,” He says, wanting to praise the woman for her hard work again. “If you ain’t too tuckered out, wanna help me wid a few more pieces? Got two bookshelves dat’re ready ta go inside.”

Anna nods, still smiling. “Yeah, sounds like a plan! At dis rate, we’ll be done with dis place by the end ‘a the week!”

Benjamin simply nods in agreement, rising to his feet and popping his back once he’s at his full height. Again, the duo makes quick and good work of bringing the two bookshelves into the cottage, continuing to work in perfect sync with one another. It’s while they’re bringing in stacks of books and organizing them, the two of them sitting back to back on the floor, that Ben is overcome with a sense of familiarity he hasn’t felt in decades. He’s felt this sensation in passing over the last few weeks, but it’s here, with Anna pressed against his back after having helped him do something he once thought too frustrating to bother getting help for, that Ben realizes he’s found someone that’s akin to a soulmate.

Most people would probably be overjoyed to discover such a thing, jumping for joy and cheering as they hold their other half, but Benjamin is not like most people, and instead of feeling relief, he feels soul-crushing fear overtake his senses. The last time he met someone on his level, someone who held a piece of him in their heart, that person chose a magic crown over their relationship, chasing him out of the only place he ever felt safe inside of in the process. Of course, it’s not like Anna has a magic crown to threaten Ben with, but she  _ does  _ have her family, and with how worn out the wizard has become from his travels and trauma, he doesn’t think he could stand another heartbreak, not when he already feels so devastated by something that happened nearly one-hundred years ago.

When he’s certain Annabeth isn’t looking, Ben glances shyly back at the woman from over his shoulder, trying to catch her being awful so he can have an excuse to hate her. Unsurprisingly, Anna isn’t doing anything wrong, in fact, she’s being helpful by continuing to organize Ben’s many books for him, setting them gently on the bookshelves for safe keeping. If that weren’t enough, the farmer has begun humming a soft tune under her breath, the sound making Ben’s heart race, something about the sound making him want to lie down in Anna’s arms and never leave her side again. Stubbornly, Benjamin shakes his head, willing himself to stop acting so damn soft.

Even if Anna  _ does  _ make him feel good, and makes him want to keep on living, if only to spend another tomorrow in her good company, he knows that such a thing is impossible for a man like him. If Anna sticks around, then she’s at risk of being senselessly murdered by bounty hunters, or losing her family, and Ben will be damned before he let’s such a thing become of someone he believes to be his second soulmate. Besides, if that all weren’t enough to keep the wizard from seeking Anna out for a relationship, what kind of person would Ben be if he started sleeping with someone when he never officially broke it off with El Rey? That’s cheating, right? It doesn’t matter that El Rey chased him out; he never officially said they were over, so they might still be a thing, right?

Even Ben can tell he’s jumping through hoops, but he can’t bring himself to care, too desperate to simultaneously protect Annabeth and hurt himself to be anything but unreasonable.

“Don’t put dat book dere.” Ben orders, making sure his voice comes out stern and rude, the spellcaster not even looking at where Anna put the book; he knows she’s doing everything right, but he needs to chase her away, before it’s too late.

Anna pauses, clearly surprised by his tone, but she shrugs it off quickly enough, likely chalking it up to Ben being tired. “Alright,” She says, moving to put the book elsewhere. “How ‘bout here?”

Ben actually does check, and this time he knows she’s wrong, but only because he’s forcing her to be. “Naw, dat’s wrong, too,” He says, sounding more annoyed now. “Jesus, what’re ya thinkin’, puttin’ alchemy next ta castin’?”

Anna huffs, rolling her eyes. “Only puttin’ it dere since yer bein’ picky outta nowhere,” She states, sneering at the wizard. However, she softens quickly, her confusion obvious. “You okay, Ben? Yer actin’ off.”

“No I ain’t,” Benjamin insists, sounding more like a toddler than a grown man. “Only thing  _ ‘wrong’  _ is yer piss-poor attempt at organizin’ my  _ shit.” _

“The  _ hell? _ Ben, what’re you  _ on  _ about?” Anna asks, definitely sensing that something isn’t right by now, not that Ben’s going to back down at this point. “Seriously, ‘re you alright? Why’re ya bitchin’ at me over notin’? This ain’t like you.”

Ben glares at Anna, trying so hard to be the bad guy, even though it makes him want to punch himself in the dick. “‘N since when do  _ you  _ know me, huh? You don’t know  _ shit  _ ‘bout me, much less shit ‘bout organizin’ my books!”

Annabeth slams down the book she’d been holding on the floor, fixing her friend with a harsh scowl for his trouble. “What’s da matter wid you, Ben!? Dis ain’t who ya are,” She repeats, looking the wizard up and down, trying to figure out what’s wrong. “‘Re you gettin’ paranoid again? Ya know ya can tell me if yer strugglin’, doll.”

“I  _ ain’t  _ strugglin’,” Ben says, beginning to feel less sure of himself as the argument goes on. He was really hoping Anna would assume he was a jerk right off the bat and leave, but she clearly isn’t as easy to fool as he’d like her to be; perhaps that, among other things, is why he loves her so much. “How ‘bout we drop it, alright? No point in fussin’ no more.” He tries dropping the subject, figuring he’ll try again later, maybe when Anna’s more tired.

“No, I ain’t lettin’ this go again, Benjamin,” Anna deadpans, standing up and turning to face the wizard completely, her expression irritated yet understanding. “Look… I  _ know  _ yer only bein’ rude ta make me hate you, but dat ain’t gonna work on me, Ben. I ain’t gonna stand fer yer BS neither, ‘cus I  _ know  _ you can be a real good friend. Why you gotta act dis way, huh? Why’re you scared ‘a gettin’ close ta me?”

Benjamin shifts in place, uncomfortable now that Anna’s caught on to the ruse. “I… I don’t know what yer talkin’ ‘bout.” He lies, looking away as he tries to make it look like he’s organizing books again, not wanting to have this conversation.

Annabeth outright snatches one of the books out of Ben’s hands, her glare intensifying. “You started it, so I’m finishin’ it,” She states, unwavering in her decision to talk this out. “I know yer only bein’ mean ta scare me off, but dat ain’t gonna work, Benjamin. You can try all you’d like, but so long as I know dat nice gentleman I met is in dere, I ain’t goin’ nowhere anytime soon,” She softens again, gaze sympathetic. “I  _ get it,  _ Benny… you’ve been through heck ‘n back fer as long as you can remember, but dat don’t mean it’s gotta stay dat way. Don’t you wanna be happy? Don’t you want friends?  _ Please, _ Ben, I don’t wanna lose my only friend jus’ ‘cus he’s scared ‘a commitment.”

“Stop puttin’ shit in my mouth dat I ain’t even said!” Ben snaps, jumping to his feet to glare with such viciousness at Anna, angry over being read like the very books they’d been so peacefully sorting not fifteen minutes ago, the mood ruined by his own selfish actions. “I’m not bein’ a bitch ta push ya away, I’m bein’ a bitch ‘cus I  _ am  _ one! You don’t deserve dealin’ wid my sorry ass!”

“Dat’s my decision ta make,” Anna says, arms crossed as she looks him up and down, not at all deterred by his angry outburst; internally, the wizard can’t help but wonder when she developed such a thick skin. “And ya know what? I  _ know  _ you don’t want me gone, but ya hate yerself so damn much, you wanna chase me away, jus’ like everybody else has done to ya. You wanna know the  _ truth, _ Benny? Truth is, yer not bad at all- you’ve always been a good boy at heart- but stupid bullcrap forced ya ta run, ‘n now after all dat runnin’, you believe every bad you’ve ever been told, so yer tryin’ ta be the bad boy dey all say you are, even though all you wanna do is be good ta people.”

Benjamin stands there in complete shock, eyes wide as he hears Anna pointblank voice everything he’s been trying to deny for years. Again, he’s made aware that this girl really  _ is  _ his soulmate, if she was able to read him this easily, but he’s too overcome with misplaced anger to care, the wizard growling something unpleasant in a foregin language as he scowls at Anna, hands forming tight fists by his sides, but he’s not so angry that he’d hurt her. “You think you know me,  _ bitch? _ You think you know da truth?” Ben asks, not even trying to reel in his anger anymore, wanting to make the woman in front of him cry and run away, if only because he wants her to be safe from what he believes to be a monster of a man. “Truth is I ain’t worth  _ shit, _ ‘n everybody knows it!  _ Nobody  _ should be forced ta be around my pathetic ass, and you fuckin’ know dat, Annabeth! You wanna pretend I’m some sorta cowboy dat wandered onta yer Pappy’s ranch, wieldin’ a heart ‘a gold ‘n pretty looks, who’s gonna whisk ya away to a magical world where nobody gets hurt. News flash, Anna, but I ain’t yer knight in shinin’ armor, I’m yer worst  _ fuckin’  _ nightmare! If you know what’s best fer yerself, you oughta take yer family ‘n run as far as ya fuckin’ can, ‘cus ain’t  _ nobody  _ who cares ‘bout the Nomad ‘a Nowhere safe, not even da people he loves more den anythin’ on dis shitty fuckin’ earth!”

Annabeth gapes at Ben, slack-jawed as she stares at the wizard. “Oh my god… Benny, I-” She tries to say something, anything that might mend the thousands of holes in this man’s broken heart, but even  _ she  _ must realize how futile such an attempt would be.

Not that it matters, as before Anna can finish, Ben is out the door, running as fast as he can into the briar he once thought would protect him from bounty hunters, and sure, it does, but it seems not even a forest of thorns can keep out a bounty hunter that’s after his heart.

* * *

Outside, the sun has begun to set, though there’s plenty of light left to illuminate the wizard’s way as he makes his escape. Ben pauses for all of a few seconds once he’s outside, debating on which way to go, before simply circling the cottage and shuffling into the forestry behind his home, hoping that Anna won’t think to go this way, that is, if she’s going to care about him after his meltdown, which she probably won’t. Much as it hurts Benjamin to lose another person, considering how many he’s lost throughout his long life, he believes it’s better this way, to simply let Anna run away and live her own life, away from all his bullshit. She’s such a nice, wonderful person, Ben would honestly be surprised if she weren’t married by next fall; anyone who marries her will be lucky to have her as their partner.

Shaking his head in earnest, the spellcaster continues onward, trying to leave his new home behind him, with the intent to possibly never go back. He honestly doesn’t want to lose this place after putting so much work into it, especially with all his books and personal belongings still there, but… he’s put Annabeth through so much already, the least he can do is offer her the home she attempted to build with him. Internally, Ben winces, wishing he could will himself to go back and apologize to the farmer for being so rude and awful to her, especially when he didn’t mean to be that way, not in his heart, but it’s probably too late now. She’s probably long gone, and he needs to let her go without a fight.

Somewhere along the way, Benjamin feels a presence walking beside him, the phantom slowly building into something more as their journey progresses, until it appears that El Rey himself is striding in short spurts to stay at the wizard’s side, his long legs enough to carry him farther, but he’s willing to slow down for his best friend’s sake. As usual with these hallucinations/bouts of his imagination running wild, Ben tells himself that the El Rey in his company isn’t real, and is nothing more than an example of the old wizard losing his fucking mind. Regardless of his feelings, the phantom sticks around, not that Ben makes any attempts at conversing with the useless waste of space, afraid that if he speaks to it, he’ll completely lose whatever is left of his barely-there sanity.

The ghost in turn respects his privacy, simply following a trail alongside the shorter spellcaster, until finally, the duo comes to a stop in another clearing, this one very small, with a large, fallen log laid out in the middle of the trail, practically begging them to sit down and rest for a few minutes or more. Exhausted from so much walking and work today, Benjamin does just that, plopping himself down on the log to rest his head in his hands, breathing heavily to combat the pain in his broken heart. El Rey also sits down, looking just as alive and well as he did when Ben last saw him, not that the ghost’s resemblance is going to be enough to convince his companion that he’s real.

“What’s wrong, Benjamin?” El Rey asks, tone conversational yet full of concern. “What has you in such a state, my friend? Did the mess hall run out of your favorite stew again? I’ll have my chefs prepare another pot for you.”

Ben halfheartedly waves him off, refusing to even  _ look  _ at the phantom. “We’re not in da fuckin’ castle, Rey,” He deadpans, wishing he had the energy to cry, but he doesn’t think he does. “It’s nothin’, alright? So how ‘bout you make like da ghost you are ‘n disappear? Don’t need ta be haunted anymore den I already fuckin’ am.”

El Rey doesn’t seem deterred; if anything, Ben’s bitterness only seems to egg him on, the spirit desperate to help. “Come now, Benny, that’s no way to behave,” He murmurs, a hand resting on Ben’s shoulder, but it lacks the warmth it normally holds. “What’s going on here, my friend? I understand that I am your king, but I am  _ also  _ your friend, and I would do  _ anything  _ for you. You know that, right? You’re my  _ best  _ friend.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ben agrees, though not with any sort of happiness, finding that fact to be more heartbreaking than anything else. “Sorry, Rey, but yer jus’ a trick ‘a my agin’ brain… you’d best jus’ go, ‘fore I start thinkin’ yer my Pappy next.”

“Don’t be like that,” El Rey orders, completely leaning his body against Ben now, tall enough that he practically encapsulates the smaller wizard. “I know you need to talk to someone, and I’m here, so you may as well just get it out of your system; it’s not healthy to hold it all in.”

Benjamin hesitates a moment longer, before sighing. “Fine, you win,” He grumbles, still not looking at the phantom, but he at least begins to vent about how he really feels. “It’s jus’… there’s dis girl, ‘n she’s so much like you, Rey, but… she’s still different, in her way. She’s stubborn as all hell, but goddamn, does she got a heart ‘a gold in ‘er… makes me wish I’d met ‘er sooner, ‘fore the wastes ate my spirit whole,” Ben holds nothing back, speaking as dramatically as he needs to in order to fully explain how he feels inside. “Even though I love ‘er, I don’t wanna trap ‘er ta dis shithole; she don’t deserve ta be isolated like me. I jus’… I want her ta be free, but I don’t want ‘er ta go, ‘n it’s fuckin’ killin’ me, Rey!” He presses his face into his hands again, groaning as loud as he can. “I hate bein’ dis fuckin’ indecisive. ‘N if dat weren’t enough, I still-” Ben pauses, glancing at El Rey from out of the corner of his eye, tears building as he realizes the truest root of his pain. “I still… I still love you, ‘n I don’t wanna cheat on ya.”

“Cheat on me? How would you be cheating on me, Ben?” El Rey asks, confused. Although Ben still believes him to be a figment of his imagination, he’s fairly sure he has the king’s response to his plight down to a T, as El Rey was always someone who focused on the tiniest of details.

“Well, uh,” Ben feels like he’s losing his nerve now, all too suddenly aware of how many hoops he has to jump through to reach this conclusion, but it’s not enough to ease the worry away. “We never  _ officially  _ broke off, now did we, hun? I mean, ya  _ did  _ more ‘r less chase my ass off, ‘n I wouldn’t be mad if ya decided ta fuck somebody else after I left, but…” He trails off, feeling simultaneously nauseous and silly.

“Benjamin,” El Rey’s tone is leveled, his gaze piercing as he seems to stare through Ben’s very soul. “You  _ know  _ that I’m never again going to be the man I once was, right? Even if you don’t think I’m real, I may as well be the ghost of El Rey,” He softens, pressing his forehead against Ben’s shoulder, and it’s only now that the spellcaster realizes that this phantom of El Rey is without his crown. “I’m sorry, my love, but we both know I’m long gone by now… I died the minute I sent you away,” He let’s out a chuckle, but it sounds wet. “It’s funny… you were a thief when I brought you in, and you were a thief when I threw you out; you little bastard, you stole my heart, didn’t you? Very careless of you really, considering how dangerous a man I am to love, but I suppose it was better than stealing my crown, yes?”

If Benjamin’s crying-  _ sobbing, _ really- he’s never going to admit it, even as his cheeks get soaked and tears begin to wet his poncho. The wizard sits in place, wanting to do so many things at once; he wants to run back to the capital and kiss whatever’s left of his love until he’s murdered in his arms, he wants to run back to the cottage and hold Anna until they’re both old and dead, and he wants to run and run through Nowhere until his fucking legs give out from under him, and he’ll just lie there, corroding under the sun, a demon of this world lost to the desert, because he can’t fucking stand to think about what this all means anymore.

Whether Ben likes it or not, the ghost is right in that his lost love is long since dead, and all that’s left of him is the walking corpse wearing gold in the capital, as well as the empty phantom currently trying to hold him like he’s still somehow alive. Not for the first time, Ben believes the world around him to be sick and cruel, forcing him to constantly hurt and constantly lose, giving him nothing but knowledge that won’t mean anything after he’s dead, and a thousand ghosts to haunt him. Life is fucking bullshit, and Ben wishes his could end, even if that would be giving up. He’s so goddamn tired, he just wants it to end, even if it means never seeing Anna aga-

“-Benny? Ben, where are ya, darlin’?” Annabeth’s voice comes calling through the bramble, and before Ben knows it, the farmer has entered the clearing he’s in, El Rey disappearing the moment she arrives, not that she seems to notice. “Ben! Thank god yer alright! You done had me scared as a ghost, runnin’ out on me like dat!” She quickly drops the tough guy act, running to crouch by Ben’s side, a hand resting on one of his cheeks. “Oh, Benny… honey, what happened back dere? Please, hun, it’s alright, I ain’t gonna judge ya.”

Benjamin simply stares at the woman in his company, simultaneously wondering where she came from and where El Rey went, because the king was here just a minute ago, wasn’t he? He was alive, and everything was going to be okay, but…  _ but…  _ “Anna,” Ben whispers, more tears falling as he leans into the farmer’s touch, so touch-starved he’d murder someone just to be held again. “Anna, darlin’, I’m so fuckin’ sorry… fer everthin’,” He says, his sadness only growing as he tries so hard to apologize, to make things right again. “You don’t deserve ta put up wid my shit, I’m such a fuckin’ asshole, I-”

“-Stop  _ right dere, _ mister,” Anna orders, though it lacks any real sternness. “I didn’t come all da way out ‘ere for ya ta talk bad ‘bout yerself. I came out ‘ere ‘cus yer my  _ best friend, _ ‘n I  _ promised  _ I was gonna stick by ya, didn’t I?” After Ben nods, she continues to speak. “I know dis ain’t all about me, Benny… you’ve been through hell, I  _ know  _ dat, but I can’t do nothin’ ta help ya if I don’t know what you been put through, now can I? You don’t gotta tell me ‘bout every lil’ heartbreak, but please, won’t ya lemme in, doll? I promise not ta break nothin’.” She’s smiling by the end, trying so hard to get through to Ben, wherever he’s currently hiding in his soul.

Ben considers the woman before him, contemplating on the idea of continuing to hide, continuing to run away… but if he has the chance, he wants someone out there to know who Benjamin of Nowhere really was, and if there’s anyone other than El Rey he trusts to know him for who he really is, it’s Anna. “…Okay,” He agrees, hands opening and closing experimentally as he looks at Anna, wanting to just hug her outright, but he’s not about to do so without permission. “Um, if ya don’t mind, uh, could we… could we…” He feels so awkward, more nervous than he’s ever been before. “I’m awful sorry ta ask, but could we please, um, hug? Ya don’t gotta, ‘a course, but I kinda wa-” He gets cut off mid sentence, as before he can finish making his request, Annabeth leans forward and hugs him, pulling him close to herself.

“-‘A course we can, darlin’,” Anna whispers, voice so loving and kind, it makes Ben cry even harder in her arms. “You take all da time you need, alright? I’m ‘ere fer ya.”

Ben can only nod, pressing his face against the woman’s shoulder, their positions making him feel so small compared to her, as she’s half-crouched in front of him, while he’s still seated on the log, but he’ll get over it soon enough. “Alright, so… ‘fore I met ya, ‘n before I was on the run a second time, I… I worked fer El Rey,” He feels Anna go stiff for a second, but she quickly untenses, continuing to cuddle the wizard. “I wasn’t always proud ‘a what he had me do, but dat don’t make it so I ain’t responsible fer da shit I did back den. Even ‘fore El Rey found me, I was always a fuckin’ troublemaker, ever since my Pappy done died on me, not dat he meant to, ‘a course,” Benjamin sighs, hating that he has to talk about this, but it’s better that Anna knows. “‘Bout eighty years ago, I finally ran away from ‘im… wasn’t easy, but I got free, ‘n I started on da road by my lonesome again. ‘Course, seein’ as I was one ‘a the last magic users left, he wasn’t keen on lettin’ me get away, ‘n he put a hell of a bounty on my head. Ever since, I been runnin’ ‘n runnin’, tryin’ ta jus’ survive out ‘ere… but I think you changed my plans, doll.”

Anna takes a few seconds to respond, stewing on the information presented to her. “Wait… yer eighty-somethin’ years old?  _ Really?” _ She squints quizzically at Ben, trying to figure out if he’s lying or not.

Ben can’t help but chuckle, even through his tears. “Jus’ shy ‘a one-hundred ‘n fifty-three, darlin’,” He states, smirking at the look of bewilderment on Anna’s face. “Lucky fer you, dis ugly mug didn’t age past eighteen; figure it’s somethin’ wid my race.”

“What  _ is  _ yer race anyways?” Annabeth can’t help but ask, her eyes suggesting she wants to study her companion like a new species of beetle. “You sure ain’t no Y’Dala, ‘n you don’t look like an Elf, on account ‘a you havin’ no ears,” She then pauses, realizing what she just pointed out. “Oh my stars ‘n garters, you don’t got no  _ ears!  _ How did I not notice sooner!?”

Benjamin loses it laughing now, clutching his stomach in an attempt to keep from vomiting with the force of it. “Hahaha! Oh, honey, wait ‘til ya see my di-”

“-Don’t finish dat sentence if ya wanna keep it, sugar,” Anna warns, rolling her eyes at Ben’s uproarious behavior. “First yer cryin’, now yer laughin’ at me… a wonder I stuck around,” She mutters. Suddenly, her eyes go wide, realizing what she just said. “Wait, please, I didn’t mean it, Benny! I jus’… thank ya fer tellin’ me all dat, I’m sure it wasn’t easy ta do.”

“It wasn’t, but you make it easier ta talk ‘bout most anything,” Ben admits, not even that sheepish with this admission, more relaxed after laughing. “So… what ya think ‘a me now, darlin’? Dat enough ta scare ya off, knowin’ I was responsible fer so much evil?”

To Ben’s surprise, Anna shakes her head. “Nope,” She says pointblank, giving her friend a loving smile despite him pissing her off a minute ago. “No matter what ya did back ‘fore I was born, yer still my best friend, Benny!”

“You need better friends then,” Ben deadpans, before sighing, hating himself for making the comment at all. “Look, Anna… I’m sorry fer how I acted back at da house; I never shoulda treated you so bad. I jus’… I been losin’ so many folk since I could remember, I didn’t think I could imagine losin’ you too, once you saw what a  _ monster  _ I really am. I thought if I, I dunno, scared ya off, it woulda been easier on us both… but it wouldn’t have been, now would it?” He sighs again, and not for the first time, he almost wishes he was mute, if only to avoid talking about his stupid feelings. “Anna, I… I like you, a lot, ‘n I don’t want ya ta go, but I don’t wanna trap ya in dis damn briar either. Dis life, it ain’t somethin’ I’d wish on my worst enemy, much less my best friend. I want ya ta be happy, so… if you wanna leave me, I ain’t gonna hate ya for it.”

“Ben,” Anna’s tone has yet to change, still holding that soft lovingness that makes Ben want to crawl into her ribcage and never leave. “Can I finally cash in dat favor from ya?”

Figuring that this will be their last interaction, Benjamin nods, tears unwillingly filling his eyes; goddammit, can’t they just stop already!? This is for the better! He’s letting her go, and his body needs to get with the program and accept it! “Y-Yeah, ‘a course,” He says, hating the way he stutters, not wanting to make Anna feel guilty for being honest with him. “Anythin’ you want, I’ll give it to ya, Anna.”

Annabeth smiles, eyes full of heartache, and here it comes, the grand finale, the loss of another soulmate, the- “Ben, will you let me stay wid ya?  _ Forever?” _ Wait,  _ what? _

Ben sits there in utter shock for the next several minutes, unsure of how to respond. Did he hear her right? Is this his stupid, hallucinating brain coming up with more bullshit again? Is that lack of physical ears finally an issue that needs addressing? Fortunately, Ben knows this isn’t the case, as Anna’s eyes stay fixated on his face, her gaze so loving and warm, goddamn, what did he do to ever deserve someone as good as her? Pushing the thinly veiled marriage proposal aside- he’s stupid, but he’s not an idiot- Ben can still hardly believe that this is real and happening, that he’s finally found someone who genuinely wants to be in his presence, but again, his self-deprecating brain is already racing to tell him otherwise.

What if he’s unknowingly brainwashed her into loving him? What if she’s so afraid of him that she’s not gonna bother running away for fear of being followed? What if she secretly wants to murder him in his sleep? Even as these treacherous thoughts try to cut Benjamin down where he stands- well,  _ sits-  _ the wizard somehow doesn’t collapse under the onslaught, Anna’s hands resting on his knees enough to ground him, and remind the man that despite what his conscience wants him to believe, he’s not quite as unlovable as he thinks he is. Everyone deserves love, right? Everyone deserves happiness? He stares at Anna, a small smile forming on his face as he realizes, suddenly, that he’s happy she’s decided to stay.

Still… he needs to test the waters, make sure she understands that she’s walking into a hurricane, and not your everyday rainstorm. “You understand what dat means, don’t ya? Dat you could get nabbed ‘n killed by bounty hunters? Dat yer family ain’t gonna approve? Dat El Rey ain’t gonna stop ‘til I’m dead? Baby, don’t get me wrong, I love dat ya wanna stick by dis old piece ‘a shit’s side, but ya gotta understand, men like me, we ain’t easy ta live wid, much less love; we attract trouble, and a pretty girl like you don’t deserve dat sorta heartache.”

“Yer jus’ intent on runnin’ from me, ain’t ya? Yer scared ‘a lovin’, but dat’s alright; I suppose I am too, deep down in my heart,” Anna finally pulls away from Ben, only to plop down next to him on the log, coming to lean against him like the phantom of El Rey did awhile ago. “Ya know, Benny… as nice as some ‘a my siblings are, ‘n as much as my Daddy wants me ta stay under his roof forever, I know I ain’t got a future on dat farm. Even my closest siblings, dey’re… dey’re becomin’ like our folks, even though we swore as kids dat we wouldn’t be like dem, ‘n I feel like I’m da only one some days dat still wants to leave dat farm, ta see what life can be, outta Daddy’s shadow,” She sighs, and now it’s her turn to cry, the woman doing nothing to stop herself as the downpour begins. “I know dey’re all I was supposed ta have, but da minute you showed up ‘n showed me dat life could be more den gettin’ da switch ‘n goin’ hungry… Benny, I wanna be with you; I don’t ever wanna go back dere, not ever again.”

Benjamin pulls Anna closer, until she’s fully seated in his lap, the spellcaster holding her in a way that many onlookers would view as possessive. “I won’t let dem hurt ya, darlin’,” He promises, all his anger towards Phillip Driller and his damn farm returning in an instant, leaving him hot-blooded and willing to murder if it means protecting his partner. “If you don’t ever wanna go back, doll, den you don’t ever gotta go back… if you stay wid me, I’ll love ya ‘til yer dead, ‘n I’ll keep lovin’ ya after dat, too,” With Anna still crying into his shoulder, Ben chances a kiss to the farmer’s cheek, wanting nothing more than to love her, in sickness and in health, ‘til El Rey himself comes and rips them apart. “Don’t worry, Annabeth… ain’t nothin’ ever gonna hurt ya again, long as I’m ‘ere ta keep ya safe.”

Anna smiles, giving Ben’s chin a light, butterfly-like kiss. “Thank ya, Benny… I promise, I ain’t gonna be no slob; I’ll help ‘round da house, ‘n I’ll cook, ‘n I’ll learn magic, ‘n-”

“-Honey, you could shit on my floor ‘n call me names, ‘n I’d still let ya stay,” Ben promises, before sighing, pulling back to stretch and pop his back. He then pauses, eyes glancing around the clearing, and he gives a slight shiver. “Goddamn, when’d it get so fuckin’  _ late? _ I swear, it was bright as hell a minute ago.”

Annabeth laughs, shaking her head. “You ran out right as the sun was settin’; what time you think it is right now? Afternoon?” She stands up, stretching as well. “Suppose we’ve been out too long though… dinner’s gonna be late tonight.”

Benjamin shrugs, not all that bothered by the news. “I’ve gone days without eatin’, so don’t go worryin’ ‘bout it,” A bit roughly, he pats Anna on the shoulder, smirking all the while. “If yer up to it, maybe you’ll lemme cook ya somethin’ nice, hm? I know yer thinkin’ ‘a bein’ some sorta housewife, but you oughta try my grilled squirrel ‘fore ya get too excited.”

Anna smirks right back, happy to start joking around again, rather than remain somber. “Oh yeah? Maybe I oughta be da elusive, sneaky wizard, ‘n you can be da sweet, innocent lil’ housewife!”

“I mean, I ain’t gonna lie, I’d make ‘a  _ mean  _ fuckin’ housewife,” Ben says with absolutely no shame or embarrassment. “You’d be so fuckin’ in love wid me; I’d have dinner on da table by da time you got back from yer practicin’, and I’d still have da whole fuckin’ house clean, too!”

Anna just keeps laughing, finding Ben hilarious. “Honey, you think I’d love ya _den?_ I already do.” She says, leading the way towards the house without missing a beat.

Benjamin opens his mouth, moving to follow her, only to pause with his foot still raised, her words finally registering in his brain. “Wait…  _ what?”  _ He asks, baffled and starstruck.

Anna glances over her shoulder, a devilish smirk on her face. “What?” She parrots, fighting to not laugh again.

Ben stutters, and if he had the ability to, he’d be a red-faced, blubbering mess. “I  _ know  _ I heard ya say it!” He snaps, though not in any way that’s angry, the spellcaster is still quite shocked.

“Say what?” Annabeth plays dumb, giggling under her breath as she skips ahead, putting a good distance between her and Ben. “I didn’t say nothin’.”

“Yes you did!” Ben insists, glaring daggers at the mischievous farmer.

Anna smiles, so very coy, and it’s doing way too much for Ben. “You think I said somethin’? Alright, how ‘bout dis? If you make it ta da house first, I’ll say whatever I said again. Hows  _ dat  _ sound?”

Benjamin gapes, before nodding his head in earnest. “O-Okay,” He stumbles out, his mind still barely coping with the fact that Anna even wants to be near him. “So, on da count ‘a three, we’ll-”

“-GO!” Anna bellows, and just like that, she’s bolting towards the cottage, not giving her best friend so much as a warning.

Ben’s eyes widen, the wizard caught off-guard. “Ey, dat’s cheatin’!” He shouts, running after his companion, having to clutch his hat to keep it from flying away. “You hear me, Anna!? Dat’s fuckin’  _ cheatin’!” _

Even with this news, Annabeth keeps gunning it, so really, Ben has no reservations against using a bit of spoken magic under his breath to move faster, bolting past the farmer in no time flat; were he a bit more certain that she wouldn’t fall over, and less uncomfortable without it, he’d yank off his hat and shove it over her face to temporarily blind her while running by. After he’s caught up with Anna, Ben lays off the magic, wanting it to be a fair race. As expected, due to so many decades spent running, Benjamin beats her to the cottage, throwing himself into the dirt of the clearing when he gets there. Anna, lacking any sort of subtly in this instance, does a very bad job of fake-tripping on him, the redhead landing right on top of the spellcaster’s chest.

They’re both laughing in no time, and as promised, Anna tells him she loves him, again and again and again, until they’re whispering it to each other like it’s a secret code, like they're the most interesting set of words in the world. Although the atmosphere is better than it was before, and Ben enjoys the weight of Anna’s body on his, he knows that there’s more to get through before they’re out of trouble; like it or not, Ben’s still a bit of a fucking prick, and Anna’s too stubborn for her own good, so they’re bound to argue and bicker in the future, but here, with the two of them kicking up dirt and giggling like foolish teenagers, Ben feels like he could take on the entirty of El Rey’s army, so long as Anna’s still by his side, ready to raise hell right alongside him.

Internally, Benjamin chuckles, almost feeling bad for the rest of Nowhere, because it looks like the most dynamic of duos has just formed, and even as his heart aches for El Rey- whether he be a corpse walking his castle alone or a treasure chest waiting to be unlocked- it’s okay if he moves on, especially if the person he’s moving on with is his other soulmate.

* * *

After that, things fall into a strange, gentle sort of rhythm, the two of them slowly but sure becoming more accustomed to one another. Sure, they’ve known each other for well over two months now, and they knew each other well enough as friends, but it feels as though some kind of invisible wall has ceased to be, leaving nothing to get in the way of them becoming something more. Nonetheless, it’s slow in it’s ascent, neither one of them experienced in changing relationships from the status quo. One might think that Benjamin of all people should have some inclination as to how to go about dating someone, considering his past with El Rey, but it was almost always the king calling the shots, bringing him into his bedchamber, pulling him into hidden kisses between meetings.

As has been shown quite frequently, Ben has never been very good at getting his feelings across, so he was thankful for how straightforward El Rey was with him. However, while Annabeth and the king are very much alike, in both very little and very big ways, one thing they don’t have in common is experience. Where El Rey knew what he was doing every step of the way, always knowing when to push and when to pull, Anna doesn’t have the same expertise, this being her first romantic relationship with anyone. As a result, there are big ups and downs in their interactions, neither one of them sure what to do, afraid of going too fast, which results in… well,  _ this. _ At the very least, they’re not arguing as much anymore.

“So…  _ furniture,” _ Ben says, as if it were a greeting and not a statement of some kind. “I may’ve been dogshit at buildin’ da house, but I know furniture.”

“I can help, too,” Anna promises, not about to slow down in her assistance anytime. As if demonstrating this, she finishes nailing in the last few planks of the new floorboards, giving them a proud grin once she’s done. “Looks like da floor’s done… gosh, lookit how much we’ve already got done! A good thing too, seein’ as it’s gettin’ real cold out.”

Benjamin nods in agreement, glancing outside to marvel at the bellowing winds, which rattle and shake the glass covering the windows. It’s at times like these that the wizard is glad he can cheat using magic, making it so that there’s no way in  _ hell  _ this house is going down with a hurricane, much less a short windstorm. “No kiddin’… yep, all we’ve really got left is makin’ da furniture. Anythin’ ya want in particular?” He takes a seat on the dusty floor, careful not to sit on any nails, and grabs one of his many empty notebooks, beginning to scribble down a list on the back page of the small book. “Got plenty ‘a bookshelves already, but I could easily build some more. Gonna want a desk, some tables, a couple counters, two beds-”

_ “-Two _ beds?” Annabeth asks, tone simultaneously confused and…  _ disappointed?  _ “You really think dat’s necessary, Ben? I mean, we don’t gotta share one, if yer not comfortable wid it yet, but…” She looks away for a moment, her posture far less confident than Ben is used to seeing from her. “Jus’ know I’d love to, if ya wanted ta share a bed.”

“Oh.” Ben says, because that’s all he can really get out for a few minutes, eyes wide as he unknowingly drops his pencil, the sound of it hitting the floorboards echoing through the room.

For context, Ben is not an idiot- if anything, he knows he’s a prodigy, at least when it comes to magic, reading, and badly timed sarcastic comments- but as stated before, he is not sure how to navigate relationships of any kind. In his experience, most every relationship he’s ever had has either ended in death, heartbreak, or both, which does not make for a very good reference guide. Benjamin sees no need to lie; he loves Anna, but he doesn’t know how to make it work. He’s already resigned himself to living in this briar with her for the rest of his life, until El Rey himself drags his lifeless corpse out, and while he  _ absolutely  _ wants things to go further than they have… is it too early? Are they really  _ ready  _ for this? Ben wants to be, he  _ really  _ freaking does, but is  _ Annabeth  _ ready?

She’s already told him, in passing, that this is not only her first time living away from home, but her first time living under a roof with a man that isn’t her father or a brother. Ben isn’t blind to what that means; he knows he has a responsibility to show her the ropes, to teach her how romance works, but unfortunately for both of them, if romance were dancing, he’d be the introvert at the back of the dance party petting the dog that’s there. In other words, Benjamin has no goddamn idea what he’s doing, and he can only hope Anna will forgive him for the missteps he’s bound to make, but one look in her eyes and… she’d forgive him for just about anything he does, wouldn’t she? That should comfort him, but all it does is make Ben feel more unworthy than he already does.

“I’m sorry,” Anna says, when the silence has gone on for far too long, the awkwardness in the air making them both uneasy. “I shouldn’t have overstepped my boundaries like dat… I’m sorry, Benny, I didn’t mean ta freak ya out. It’s okay if yer not ready fer dat, or even if ya don’t want it ta be like dat no more.”

Ben shakes his head a little too quickly, jumping to his feet to try and comfort Anna. “Naw, don’t apologize, darlin’,” He begs, feeling guilty for making her feel bad. “Ya didn’t do  _ nothin’  _ wrong, it’s jus’… honey, I gotta be honest, I don’t have the foggiest idea what da fuck I’m doin’.”

That catches Annabeth by surprise, the redhead raising an eyebrow at her partner. “Wait,  _ really? _ You ain’t been wid nobody ‘fore me?” She looks the spellcaster up and down, her confusion continuing to grow. “Aren’t you over a hundred-somethin’ years old? Don’t tell me wizards ain’t allowed ta date.”

Ben shrugs halfheartedly, looking away with no small amount of shame. “Well, uh… naw, dis ain’t exactly my first rodeo, but…” He genuinely considers telling her that he used to sleep with El Rey, but considering how lucky he is to have her support despite having once worked for the king, he’s not about to test her loyalty like that. “Let’s jus’ say my last partner was a lot more inclined ta call the shots, ‘n I was fine wid it bein’ dat way.”

“Ah,” Anna says, still pretty shocked by the news, but to Ben’s gratitude, she doesn’t press for further details. “So yer new to this too, huh? Dat’s awful unlucky,” She sighs, arms crossed as she stares mournfully at the floor. “So… what ya wanna do, Benny? If you wanna go slow, I’m fine wid it, but I could always go faster.”

Benjamin knows what she’s trying to say, though she’s too kind to say it without a sense of subtlety and without too much pressure; Anna straight up wants to start sleeping with him, but she loves him enough to not force herself on him, wanting to respect his boundaries until he’s ready to make the first move. Again, Ben feels so out of place, wishing more and more with every passing day in Anna’s company that his Pappy had lived long enough to give him some kind of talk about this shit, but considering the fact that the old spellcaster was a hermit, and seemed to detest any travelers that passed by the cottage while Ben was growing up… he probably wouldn’t be able to offer much advice. How did  _ El Rey _ do this? How did  _ he  _ know all the right things to say and do, always managing to make the relationship not only perfectly paced, but balanced, never causing his partner to feel uncomfortable.

For the millionth time, Ben wishes he’d had more time with the king, had asked more questions (something that sounds like such a strange wish, considering how he never seemed to shut up with his pestering), had done  _ something  _ differently… but he’s here now, and he needs to figure out how to make it work. Ben knows he can, obviously, because  _ nothing  _ is impossible for the Nomad of Nowhere to pull off, but  _ goddamn  _ is it annoying to try and figure out. Seriously, how the fuck do people do this stuff? Does he just say pointblank that he wants to marry her? Does he just hold her close and kiss her like they did a few days ago? Fuck romance, and fuck mother nature for not giving all of her creations a rulebook on how to navigate it, lest they be orphans and not have any guidance in the matter.

“I…” Ben hesitates, eyes not sure where to rest, eventually settling on Annabeth’s face. “How ‘bout we, uh… we do somethin’ in-between fast ‘n slow? Somethin’ like…  _ pacin’?” _

“Pacin’? What ya mean by dat?” Anna takes a seat on the floor, beckoning for her friend to do the same.

Benjamin doesn’t even put up a fuss, grateful to be off his feet for a few minutes. “I mean… I  _ wanna  _ be fast, but I don’t got the slightest clue how ta be. Maybe we could, I dunno, say what we wanna do, ‘n we can do it if we both want to? I’m sorry, dis must be so frustratin’, but I don’t know what I’m doin’ ‘ere.”

“It’s okay, Benny. I don’t know what I’m doin’ either, remember? We can do this,” Anna promises, smiling gently at the wizard. “Okay, so… I wanna share a bed wid you, but it don’t gotta get, ya know,  _ steamy  _ right away. I jus’… it’s kinda cold now, ‘n I like bein’ near you.”

“I wanna share a bed, too,” Ben agrees, wringing his hands like he did as an awkward young teenager. “But… yeah, let’s wait on fuckin’, least fer a lil’ bit,” He doesn’t dance around it as much as Anna, his mouth so used to spewing profanities, he hardly recognizes it to be vulgar anymore. “As fer what  _ I  _ really want, um…” He glances at one of his spellbooks, labeled  _ ‘For Parties’ _ by it’s last owner. He leans over to snatch it off the bookshelf, flipping it open until he finds the spell he’s looking for. “Anna, I… will ya dance wid me? It’s cheesy, I know, but I’ve got a spell ‘ere dat’ll make music, ‘n I-”

“-Can I kiss you? Honey, ya ramble so dang much, I kinda want permission ta kiss ya whenever ya start losin’ yer train ‘a thought.” Anna requests, trying to follow Ben’s example in asking before she does anything.

Ben just about chokes on his tongue, thankful that his blush is hard to see, or he’d be even more embarrassed right now. “Um… okay,” He agrees, tone sheepish. “Truth be told, I reckon I’d like dat very much, darlin’.”

Annabeth chuckles, before leaning forward and, in an instant, she’s kissing Ben directly on the lips. This isn’t their first time, as their first kiss on the lips was after he beat her to the cottage, but this time, it feels so much more intimate, almost like he’s coming home. Before he can completely lose his composure, Anna backs off again, smirking mischievously at him. “Dat’s better,” She says, daring to ruffle Ben’s hat in an attempt to tossle his hair, again showing her willingness to wait, rather than remove his beloved hat without permission. “Yer such a goof, ain’t ya? Ya look tough as nails, but I know yer a big softie under all dem layers.”

Ben blushes even more, pulling his hat to cover his eyes in a childish attempt at hiding. “Aw, hush,” He mumbles, embarrassed by the attention. After a few seconds, he pulls his hat up again, giving Anna a slightly shy look. “So, um… can we dance, darlin’? Again, I know it’s sorta dumb, but I can’t, uh, stop thinkin’ ‘bout it, if I’m bein’ honest ‘ere.”

Anna smiles, looking close to crying, but Ben doesn’t know why yet. “Honey, I’ll dance wid you ‘til our legs give out on us,” She promises, standing up to get ready. Gently, she takes Benjamin’s hands in hers, pulling the wizard to his feet. “You said you got a spell fer dis, right? Go on, love, give it a try.”

Ben nods, swallowing as he sets the book on the floor, leaving it open so the spell will work. Quietly, he begins to hum, hands coming to rest hesitantly on Anna’s hips, the wizard swaying in place in an attempt to dance. Anna, bless her heart, doesn’t say or do anything to make her partner feel uncomfortable, simply swaying in sync with him, until very subtly, she starts swaying them a bit faster, her arms wrapping around Ben’s neck to keep herself steady. In the meantime, Benjamin starts singing the spell under his breath, having memorized the lyrics so many years ago, not long before he left El Rey’s side. Back when he’d memorized this spell, Ben had daydreamed so innocently about dancing with the king in his library, away from the hustle amd bustle of their stupid lives, the two of them alone for one brief, beautiful moment.

Although Annabeth isn’t the person he imagined sharing his first real song and dance with, Ben can’t bring himself to feel as regretful as he usually does when comparing El Rey and his newfound partner in crime, because he never had a moment like this with the king, on account of running out of time with him… this can just be his and Anna’s thing, without Ben’s guilty conscience able to completely ruin this for them. As the song continues, the duo dances even faster, beginning to spin around the room, knocking over a few stacks of books in the process- because there are so many still, even with all the new bookshelves made to hold them- as well as Anna’s toolbox.

As the windstorm only continues to tear the outside world apart, sending leaves and thorns and vines whipping through the air, all of Nowhere plagued by yet another disaster caused by their king’s mistakes, Benjamin and Anna simply dance the night away, so caught up in their blossoming romance that they can’t bring themselves to care about some silly breeze hitting their windows. However, in good time, Ben runs out of words to sing under his breath, the song and by extension the spell coming to an end, the background music beginning to die out as well. For a moment, the spellcaster considers starting the song again, under the guise that Anna doesn’t have to know it’s not such a long song, but Ben knows that they’re both tired from working all day, and with any luck, they’ll have plenty more time to dance again in the future.

That makes him grin like a fucking happy idiot, still wrapping his head around the fact that sweet, wonderful, kind, generous,  _ brilliant  _ Annabeth is in love with him. Not only that, she loves him so much that she’s willing to run away from everything she’s ever known- away from a family that didn’t value her, didn’t love her like they should have- to live with him in the briar. She’s obviously a traveler at heart, and has a deep desire to learn and explore, but for Ben, she’s willing to put those things aside to be with him. In turn, the wizard is willing to ease up on all his paranoia and fear, to stop running from the world that’s hurt him so badly, and settle with her in a forest he once thought to be a temporary base of operations.

Funny how quickly plans can change, huh? All because a kind-hearted farmer grew curious, and a paranoid nomad stopped to listen to her… if they ever have kids, this’ll be one hell of a st-  _ holy fucking shit, he actually wants kids. _

Ben damn near falls over at the thought, tripping on Anna’s feet, barely avoiding stepping on her toes. “Benny, ‘re you alright?” Annabeth asks, startled by Ben’s misstep.

Benjamin nods earnestly, one slip-up away from asking if she wants kids as well, but even if Anna wants to go faster than a racehorse, he knows they’re not ready for children… at least, not yet. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, hun,” He assures, though his tone leaves much to be desired. “Jus’ tripped, dat’s all.”

“If you say so,” Anna says, unable to keep from glancing at the spellbook that’s still laying on the floor. “So… dat da only song in dat book? Think I could learn some?” She gives him an excited grin, still eager to learn magic.

“One magic lesson at a time, doll,” Ben suggests, letting go of Anna so he can go collect his book, relieved that they didn’t step on it while dancing… yeah, they  _ definitely  _ need a table in here. “Furniture,” He repeats his statement from earlier, shutting the book as he turns around to face Anna. “We need tables, chairs, counters, more bookshelves, ‘n…” He hesitates for a few seconds, but he’s right back to it in no time. “One bed, a desk, ‘n anythin’ else we can think of.”

Anna nods in agreement, face practically  _ glowing  _ with her smile. “I’ve got da nails if you got da wood.” She chirps, running to grab her toolbox as proof.

Ben bites his tongue to keep from laughing at the suggestive joke that runs through his head. “I know ya do, Ann,” He says, something in his chest warming up with happiness, so relieved to have someone he can depend on without worrying about being screwed over. “Jus’ lemme get some wood from outside, and we c-” Ben gets cut off by a large branch banging against the front door, causing both adults to jump in surprise. “…Or,” He murmurs, embarrassed by how much that frightened him. “We could jus’… stay inside ‘n drink some tea.”

Anna laughs under her breath, but thankfully it’s not loud enough for Benjamin to hear her properly. “I’ll start a fire in da oven den, doll.” She offers, shuffling back into the kitchen, her laughter getting louder the farther she walks from her partner.

Ben huffs, glaring at Anna’s back as she walks away. “I ain’t da only one who jumped, sweetheart,” He points out, rolling his eyes at the woman’s teasing. “Whatever, guess we’re usin’ those fuckin’ sleepin’ bags another night, huh?”

“Yers is big enough dat we could share it… jus’ sayin’,” Anna says from the kitchen, raising her voice to be heard over the logs she’s tossing into the oven to get it started again. “If yer tired ‘a gettin’ cold at night, we could sleep together.”

“You are  _ way  _ too fuckin’ eager ta get in my bed,” Ben comments, stepping into the kitchen to stay with Anna. He wraps his arms around Anna’s torso from behind her, leaning a little against the farmer, his chin resting on one of her shoulders. “Yer awful lucky I like ya so much, ‘r I’d be a heck of a lot more tentative ‘bout you sleepin’ wid me. Prime time fer stabbin’, after all.”

Anna subtly rolls her eyes, patting Ben’s hands where they’re clasped over his abdomen. “I know ya would be scared, Benny… makes me all da more thankful ya like me back.”

“I dunno if you’ve heard, but yer awful hard ta not fall in love wid,” Benjamin points out, unabashedly nuzzling Anna’s cheek with his own. “Awful rude ‘a ya ta go stealin’ my heart, Annabeth.”

Anna chuckles, tempted to shrug, but she doesn’t want to make Ben pull away. “Well, you were plannin’ on stealin’ first, so really, it was fairplay,” She turns her head ever so slightly, kissing Ben’s cheek, earning a smile from the spellcaster. “Wanna know a secret, Benny? Despite ya bein’ such a softie, I think I fell in love first.”  
  
Ben isn’t certain he believes her, because really, has she  _ seen  _ the man she’s talking to? Being a hopeless romantic is kind of his _ thing, _ other than magic and sarcasm of course. Either way, he’s content to let her win this round of playful bantering, wishing in silence that he could stay in this position with her forever, two soulmates destined to face the world together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the plot thickens! Aren’t these two such a happy, sweet young couple? Won’t it be great when I RUIN IT? :) I hope y’all are emotionally prepared for this trainwreck, because I sure as fuck am not. Please comment if you enjoyed this chapter/enjoy this fic, as it would mean a lot to me; validation is my lifeblood.


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